SEATTLE -- “Hey, you’re the guy that hit me in the face,” Josh Smith said jokingly after introducing himself to Danny Coulombe on Friday afternoon at T-Mobile Park.
In 2023, Smith was hit in the face with a pitch by the then-Orioles reliever Coulombe. He ultimately needed six stitches on the right side of his face, but suffered no fractures or any other major injuries.
Coincidentally, in 2024, Rangers third baseman Josh Jung was hit by a pitch on his right hand by then-Rays reliever Phil Maton. Scans quickly showed a fractured wrist, and Jung’s season was paused just five games into the Rangers’ title defense.
Now, both Coulombe and Maton are members of the Rangers’ reshaped bullpen after the club acquired both at Thursday’s Trade Deadline. Jung and Smith both said they’re not harboring those grudges, but they definitely remembered who the culprit was in their respective injuries.
“That’s baseball,” Jung said. “If I don’t check swing, it doesn’t hit me.”
Maton, though, said that hitting Jung last year was a season-changing moment for him. The right-hander posted a 4.58 ERA in 35 1/3 innings with the Rays last season before getting dealt to the Mets at the Trade Deadline.
“That kind of reshaped my year quite a bit,” Maton said. “I fell into an absolute funk after that happened. I was afraid to throw my sinker. Obviously, I was in a better spot than being hurt. But it was a really low spot for me and I kind of spiraled for a while. … It’s one of those things where my mechanics were already starting to fall apart.
“That was really a back to the drawing board moment. The staff in Tampa, they're outstanding, they kind of got me back on track. I try to put in the past, but that was not a great day on my end. It's kind of nice to be over here and actually see him and hopefully build a relationship and win some games.”
Maton ultimately finished the season by logging a 2.51 ERA across 28 2/3 innings with the Mets after getting back on track. He’s got a 2.35 ERA with 48 strikeouts and just 15 walks in 40 appearances this season.
Coulombe -- whose 2.11 ERA in 133 relief appearances since 2023 is the lowest among MLB relievers during that span -- didn’t have quite the come-to-Jesus moment that Maton did after hitting a member of the Rangers. But he does recall that being his first time ever pitching at Globe Life Field.
“I live in Dallas, so I'll be around and if I see a Rangers fan, I’ll be like, ‘Remember when Josh Smith got hit in the face? That was me!” Coulombe said. “But honestly, the stadium is really cool. I'm just really excited to pitch there. This team’s got a really good defense, and I’m really excited for it. I'm just really excited to be here. Obviously, in '23 [Baltimore] played the Rangers in the postseason and they swept us. I'd like to be on that side of it.”