Biography
Matthew Aurel Brash (born May 12, 1998) is a Canadian professional baseball pitcher for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2022.
Amateur career
Brash attended Bayridge Secondary School in Kingston, Ontario, where he led the baseball team to two championships. He also played for Ontario in the 2015 Canada Cup. He was not drafted out of high school and attended Niagara University in Lewiston, New York to play college baseball for the Purple Eagles. In three seasons at Niagara, he was 12–7 with a 2.97 ERA in 38 games, 27 of them starts. He was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year in 2017, after his freshman season.
Professional career
San Diego Padres
Brash was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the fourth round of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft. He had pitched for the Padres at Petco Park prior to the draft. He received a $512,400 signing bonus when he signed with the Padres.
Brash made his professional debut in 2019 pitching one game for the Arizona League Padres, then moving up to the Class-A Fort Wayne TinCaps for four more games before ending his season on July 7, traveling back to the Padres' Arizona facility and resting his pitching arm. He had a combined 1.69 ERA and 8 strikeouts in 5+1⁄3 innings. Brash did not play in 2020 because the Minor League Baseball was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Seattle Mariners
On September 17, 2020, Brash was traded to the Seattle Mariners as the player to be named later for in a previous trade sending reliever Taylor Williams to the Padres. Brash began the 2021 season with the High-A Everett AquaSox and was promoted to the Double-A Arkansas Travelers in July. On September 2, Brash threw six perfect innings to start a combined no-hitter, finished by relievers Nate Fisher and Dayeison Arias. That capped a stretch of three straight starts with at least 10 strikeouts. For the season, Brash went a combined 6–4 with a 2.31 ERA and 142 strikeouts over 97+1⁄3 innings in 19 starts and 1 relief appearance. On September 28, Seattle selected Brash's contract to the 40-man roster and promoted him to the major leagues for the first time, although he did not make an appearance.
On April 2, 2022, the Mariners announced that Brash would be the team's fifth starter in its Opening Day rotation. He made his MLB debut on April 12, striking out six in 5+1⁄3 innings but allowing the only run in a 1–0 loss to the Chicago White Sox. After five starts with a 7.65 ERA and 17 walks in 20 innings, the Mariners optioned Brash down to the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers. In the minors, Brash converted to a reliever and lowered his walk rate moderately, pitching in 26 games and earning 3 saves. The Mariners recalled him on July 9 and he became a setup man for the team, earning 9 holds and a 3–1 record in the final three months of the season. Brash was the winning pitcher on September when the Mariners clinched their first postseason appearance since 2001, throwing a scoreless inning against the Oakland Athletics before Cal Raleigh's pinch-hit game-winning home run. Brash pitched three times in the 2022 postseason, getting 4 strikeouts in 3+1⁄3 perfect innings.
Brash started 2023 slowly, blowing 3 saves and picking up two losses in his first 11 games. His performance improved, with only 2 blown saves and two losses the rest of the season. He earned his first MLB save on April 30, pitching a scoreless 10th inning against the Blue Jays. He led the American League by pitching in 78 games in 2023. He had a 9—4 record with 4 saves and a 3.06 ERA, getting 107 strikeouts in 70+2⁄3 innings.
Brash did not pitch for the Mariners in 2024. He began the season on the injured list with right elbow inflammation and underwent Tommy John surgery on May 8, ending his season and likely delaying the start of his 2025 season.
International career
Brash is on the roster for the Canadian national baseball team. He pitched once in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, striking out all three Great Britain batters he faced to finish an 18–8 win.