Matthew Morris

Matt Morris
Matt Morris
Retirednumber=--
	Starting pitcher
	Bats: Right Throws: Right
debut
	June 4, 1997, for the St. Louis Cardinals
Career statistics ; (through 2007)
Win-Loss	121-88
Earned Run Average	3.91
Strikeouts	1205
Teams
	St. Louis Cardinals (1997-1998, 2000-2005)San Francisco Giants (2006-2007)*Pittsburgh Pirates (2007-2008)

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Matthew Christian Morris (born August 9 1974 in Middletown, New York) is a Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher who is currently a free agent. Morris attended Valley Central High School [1] in New York before starring at Seton Hall University in New Jersey, he was drafted 12th overall in the June 1995 free agent draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. Morris did well in the minor leagues, reaching the majors in 1997. He posted some solid numbers, winning 12 games with a 3.19 ERA. Unfortunately, in 1999 he had to undergo Tommy John surgery after he was injured in spring training. Morris became the ace of the Cardinals' pitching staff once again in 2001, earning his first All-Star selection and a 3rd place finish in the NL Cy Young voting as he won 22 games with 185 strikeouts and a 3.16 ERA. In 2002 he won 17 games and made his second All-Star appearance. In 2004, Morris was awarded an incentive-laden one-year contract after he won 15 games on a Cardinals team that made the World Series. Statistically, he had his worst season as he also lost 10 games for the first time in his career and had a 4.72 ERA, also a career high.In the 2005 season, Morris had a revival of sorts. He underwent surgery during the 2004/2005 off-season, started the season 8-0 with a 3.16 ERA, and was 10-2 with a 3.10 ERA at the time of the All-Star break. In fact, he was considered by many to be snubbed for the All-Star game. However, he had a tough second half of the season, going only 4-7 with a 5.55 ERA. He was still the number three starter for the Cardinals in the playoffs, behind ace Chris Carpenter, and Mark Mulder. In the especially thin free-agent market of the 2005/2006 offseason, Morris was being touted as one of the best available pitchers.On December 12 2005, Morris signed a 3-year contract with the San Francisco Giants worth $27 million. He had an injury-filled year with the Giants in 2006, going 10-15 with a 4.98 ERA [2].Prior to the 2007 season, Morris changed his uniform number from 35, which he had worn for his entire career. Morris opted to wear number 22 instead, as a tribute to retired former teammate Mike Matheny. Rich Aurilia took the number 35 jersey. On July 31, 2007, Matt was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for centerfield prospect Rajai Davis and pitcher Stephen MacFarland.Morris started off the 2008 season with a 0-4 record and a 9.67 ERA in 5 starts. On April 27, 2008, Morris was released by the Pirates.^[1] [3]Married his wife, Heather Reader, on December 7th, 2002. They have a daughter, Harper Addison, born on October 29th, 2007.==See also==* List of Major League Baseball wins champions==References==

^ http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080427&content_id=2597858&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

==Awards==

Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs*CBS Sports Line -daily updates

Preceded by Tom Glavine	{{{title}}}	Succeeded by {{{after}}}
Preceded by Andrés Galarraga	NL Comeback Player of the Year 2001	Succeeded by Mike Lieberthal

[1] ttp://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080427&content_id=2597858&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

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