Matt Thornton (baseball)

American baseball pitcher

Matthew J. Thornton (born September 15, 1976), is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Born in Three Rivers, Michigan he grew up and attended high school in Centreville. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Washington Nationals, and San Diego Padres. Thornton is second all time in American League history in holds (182).

In the 1995 MLB draft, Thornton was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 27th round (742nd overall) but chose not to sign with them. Thornton played college baseball for Grand Valley State University and was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the first round (22nd overall) of the 1998 MLB draft. Thornton made his professional debut with the Single A Everett AquaSox in the Northwest League, recording a 27.00 ERA in two games. In and , Thornton was a starting pitcher with the Single A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in the Midwest League, and showed improvement with his ball control and accuracy, striking out nearly one batter per inning. In , Thornton had a breakout year for the Single A San Bernardino Stampede in the California League, where he posted a 14–7 record in 27 starts, along with a stellar 2.52 ERA and 192 strikeouts in only 157 innings pitched. Throughout the season, the Mariners used Thornton for mostly middle reliever duty, except for one game on July 10, when he started on against the Chicago White Sox. He pitched five innings, allowing four runs on three hits and walking seven batters in a loss. Thornton finished the 2004 season with a 1–2 record and 4.13 ERA in 19 games (one start), striking out 30 batters in 32.2 innings of work.

In 2005, Thornton served his reliever duties, pitching in 55 games and going 0–4 with a 5.21 ERA. He struck out 57 batters in 57 innings pitched. Under the tutelage of pitching coach Don Cooper, Thornton emerged as a dominant bullpen force. In the 2006 season, Thornton appeared in 63 games, going 5–3 with two saves and a 3.33 ERA. In 2010, he made 61 appearances, going 5–4 with eight saves and a 2.67 ERA. He also holds the record for most holds with a single team, with 164 for the White Sox.

On July 12, 2013, Thornton was traded to the Boston Red Sox for minor league outfielder Brandon Jacobs. The Red Sox also received cash considerations. For the rest of the 2013 season with the Red Sox, Thornton's playing time was limited due to an oblique strain, but he made 20 appearances out of the bullpen, going 0–1 with a 3.52 ERA. In 46 games for the Yankees, Thornton was 0–3 with a 2.55 ERA. In 2014, Thornton reached second on the all time list for holds in Major League Baseball, trailing only Arthur Rhodes.

Thornton was claimed by the Washington Nationals after being waived by the Yankees in August, 2014. He pitched in 18 games for Washington down the stretch, going 1–0 and posting a perfect 0.00 ERA. He was designated for assignment on August 6, 2016.

On November 8, 2016, Thornton announced his retirement from professional baseball.

Since transitioning to the bullpen with the White Sox, Thornton has scrapped his secondary pitches and now relies heavily on a mid to upper 90s four seam fastball. In 2010, Thornton has thrown the fastball over 90% of the time. He also occasionally throws a slider, which he uses most effectively against right handed batters. His fastball command is considered excellent.