Matt Ginter

Matthew Shane Ginter (born December 24, 1977) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox, New York Mets, Detroit Tigers, and Cleveland Indians.

Ginter was originally drafted out of high school by the New York Yankees in the 17th round (509th overall) of the 1996 Major League Baseball draft, but opted to attend college at Mississippi State. He was later drafted in the first round (22nd overall) of the 1999 Major League Baseball draft by the Chicago White Sox. He made his Major League Baseball debut with the White Sox on September 1, 2000, earning the win after tossing a scoreless eighth inning in a 9–8 win over the Anaheim Angels. Ginter then spent the next three seasons splitting time between Chicago and the minor leagues, appearing in a career-high 33 games in 2002.

On March 27, 2004, Ginter was traded to the New York Mets in exchange for outfielder Timo Pérez. He made his first career start on May 16 against the Houston Astros, allowing two runs (one earned) on eight hits in innings, earning a no-decision. He also recorded his first major league hit in the game off Roger Clemens. Ginter finished the season 1–3 with a 4.54 ERA in 15 games (14 starts). He made 14 appearances (one start) with the Tigers in 2005, going 0–1 with a 6.17 ERA. He began the season with the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox, and had a strong start to the season, notably pitching eight innings of two-hit shutout baseball on April 23. This start lowered his season ERA to 2.35 and his K/BB rate to 7. He was a strong candidate to be called up to the Red Sox to join the starting rotation, temporarily, while David Wells recovered from a knee injury. On July 1, Ginter exercised an out clause in his contract and became a free agent. On July 9, Ginter signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Indians called Ginter up to start on July 12, 2008. In his first major league appearance in three years, Ginter went five shutout innings with five strikeouts to record the win. After spending time on the disabled list, Ginter was sent outright to the minors on August 25 and became a free agent at the end of the season. In January , he signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers. He filed for free agency after the season.

He is not related to Keith Ginter, an infielder for MLB from 2000 to 2005.