Matt Thornton

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.

College and minor league baseball 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 attended Grand Valley State University, initially on a basketball scholarship. He had 102 strikeout for the Lakers and set a school record with 12.3 strikeouts per nine innings.

Thornton was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the first round (22nd overall) of the 1998 MLB draft. He made his professional debut with the Single-A Everett AquaSox that summer, allowing 4 runs while getting only 4 outs. In and , Thornton was a starting pitcher with the Single-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and showed improvement with his ball control and accuracy, striking out nearly one batter per inning. In , He had a breakout year for the High-A San Bernardino Stampede, 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 mostly as a middle reliever, except for one game on July 10, when he started against the Chicago White Sox. He pitched five innings, allowing four runs, three hits, and seven walks 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 innings of work.

2005 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 the regular season, he made 70 appearances, going 6–3 with four saves and a 2.74 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.

Boston Red 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.

Washington Nationals On August 5, 2014, Thornton was claimed off waivers by the Washington Nationals. He pitched in 18 games for Washington down the stretch, going 1–0 and posting a perfect 0.00 ERA. He had his contract selected to the major league roster on April 3. He was designated for assignment on August 6, 2016. He cleared waivers and was released on August 11.

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

Pitching style Since joining the White Sox bullpen, Thornton mostly scrapped his secondary pitches and now relies heavily on a mid- to upper-90s four-seam fastball. In 2010, Thornton threw his fastball on 90.1 percent of his pitches, and at least 80 percent of the time in five other seasons. He also occasionally throws a slider, which he uses most effectively against right-handed batters. While he struggled with control in Seattle, walking more than 16 percent of batters faced, he improved his command starting in Chicago, with a career 9 percent walk rate.