Matt Garza

Matthew Scott Garza (born November 26, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher.

Garza was the 25th pick in the first round of the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft, drafted by the Minnesota Twins.

He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2006 with the Minnesota Twins, and also played in MLB for the Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers and Milwaukee Brewers.

Entering 2006, Garza was ranked as the Minnesota Twins seventh-best prospect by Baseball America.

He gained attention for rising through the ranks of the Twins' minor league system, starting the season at Single-A Fort Myers and ending at the major league level, pitching with the Double-A New Britain Rock Cats and the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings in between.

Garza was a combined 14–4 at the three minor league levels in 2006, with a 1.99 ERA and 154 strikeouts in 135 2⁄3 innings.

He earned All-Star berths in the Single-A Florida State League and Double-A Eastern League.

Backed by those numbers, Garza earned the USA Today Minor League Player of the Year Award for 2006, the second consecutive year in which a Twin won the award (in 2005, Garza's teammate Francisco Liriano was the winner).

On August 8, Minnesota purchased Garza's contract, promoting him to the majors to replace the injured Liriano.

Garza is one of a small number of players to advance through the minors and reach the major league level in a single season.

On August 11, his major league debut, Garza allowed seven earned runs in 2 2⁄3 innings to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Garza earned his first win on August 23 against the Baltimore Orioles, allowing just one unearned run in six innings.

Entering 2007, Garza was rated as the top prospect in the Twins organization and the 21st-best prospect in Major League Baseball by Baseball America.

Garza did not make the Twins rotation out of spring training, being assigned to Rochester instead.

He was recalled to the Minnesota Twins on June 28 after being passed by other Twins pitching prospects such as Kevin Slowey and Scott Baker due to disagreements with the club over his pitch selection.

He was selected to the 2007 All-Star Futures Game in San Francisco, but did not get to participate due to his call up to the major league club.

On July 6, in a game against the Chicago White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field, Garza became the first Twins pitcher to bat in an American League game since Allan Anderson in.

Garza was put in the eight-spot when catcher Mike Redmond left the game after his head was cut by Jim Thome's bat on a backswing.

Joe Mauer, the designated hitter for the game, replaced Redmond as the catcher, forcing Garza into the lineup.

On July 29, Garza recorded a career-high 11 strikeouts in six innings against the Cleveland Indians.

After the 2007 season, the Twins traded Garza along with Jason Bartlett and Eduardo Morlan to the Tampa Bay Rays for Delmon Young, Jason Pridie, and Brendan Harris.

Garza had a successful 2008 season with the Rays, going 11–9 while posting a 3.70 ERA.

He also earned MVP honors for the ALCS in which he helped the Rays beat the Boston Red Sox by posting a 1.38 ERA in two starts, and earning the decisive victory in game 7 of the ALCS.

On June 26, 2008, he carried a perfect game through six innings against the Florida Marlins before giving up a leadoff home run in the seventh inning to Hanley Ramírez.

The home run proved his only blemish as he won the complete game with 10 strikeouts and one walk.

As of the end of July 2009, opposing batters were hitting .222 against him, which was the second-lowest batting average in the league; he was just behind Edwin Jackson (.216), and was followed by Jarrod Washburn (.224) and Scott Feldman (.228; .217 as a starter).

In 2009, he had the lowest range factor of all starting major league pitchers (0.93).

With the Rays, Garza was named the American League Championship Series Most Valuable Player in 2008, and threw a no-hitter on July 26, 2010.

Born in Selma, California, south of Fresno.

Garza attended Washington Union High School in Easton, California, where he starred in baseball and football.

Garza continued with baseball at Fresno State.

After struggling his first two years at Fresno State, Garza excelled in his junior season, averaging 10 strikeouts per nine innings pitched.

Garza threw a no-hitter on July 26, 2010, at home against the Detroit Tigers, becoming the fifth pitcher that season to throw a no-hitter.

It was also the first no-hitter thrown by a Tampa Bay Rays pitcher in the team's history (and so far it remains the only one in a full 9-inning game).

He faced the minimum 27 batters as the lone base runner, Brennan Boesch, who drew a 1-out second inning walk, was erased on a double play hit by Ryan Raburn in the next at-bat.

Garza threw 120 pitches, 80 for strikes, and tallied six strikeouts.

101 of his pitches were fastballs.

On January 7, 2011, Garza was traded from the Rays to the Chicago Cubs as part of an eight-player deal.

The Cubs sent outfielder Sam Fuld, and prospects Chris Archer, Hak-ju Lee, Brandon Guyer, and Robinson Chirinos to the Rays for Garza, outfielder Fernando Perez and minor league left-handed pitcher Zac Rosscup.

In spring training, Garza led all pitchers in the major leagues in earned runs given up, with 25, in 21.2 innings.