Matthew James Albers (born January 20, 1983) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

. He played in

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(MLB) for the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

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Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

, and

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

High school career

In 2001, Albers graduated from William P. Clements High School in Sugar Land, Texas. That year, the

selected him in the 23rd round (686th overall) of the 2001 MLB Draft.

Professional career

Houston Astros

Minor leagues

Albers made his professional debut in 2002 with the rookie–level

Martinsville Astros The Martinsville Astros were a short season minor league baseball team located in Martinsville, Virginia. The team was affiliated with the Houston Astros and played in the Appalachian League from 1999 to 2003. Martinsville was also home to the ...

, going 2–3 with a 5.13

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) in 13 starts. He then spent the next three seasons climbing up the Single–A ranks, spending a season each with the

Tri-City ValleyCats The Tri-City ValleyCats are a professional baseball team based in Albany, New York. The ValleyCats compete in the Frontier League (FL) as a member of the North Division in the Atlantic Conference. The team was established in 2002, along with the ...

Lexington Legends The Lexington Legends are an American professional baseball team based in Lexington, Kentucky. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner league" of Major League Baseball. The Legends have ...

and

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. Albers started the 2006 season with the

Corpus Christi Hooks The Corpus Christi Hooks are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. They are located in Corpus Christi, Texas, and are named for the city's association with fishing. The team is owned b ...

of the Double–A

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

, posting a 10–2 win–loss record with a 2.17 ERA in 19 starts.

Major leagues

On July 20, 2006, the Astros called him up to the major leagues. Albers pitched a few games in relief, then made his first Major League start against the

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

on August 3, 2006, allowing five runs on eight hits in five-plus innings. The Astros then sent Albers to the

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home ...

of the Triple–A

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two days later. The Astros promoted Albers back to the major leagues when rosters expanded in September. In 2006, Albers was named Texas League Pitcher of the Year. Albers got his first Major League win on May 5, 2007, against the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

, when he pitched innings without giving up a run.

Baltimore Orioles

After being a starting pitcher for two years, Albers was traded to the

on December 12, 2007, as part of the

Miguel Tejada Miguel Odalis Tejada ( Tejeda; born May 25, 1974) is a Dominican former professional baseball shortstop who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for six teams, most notably the Oakland Athletics and Baltimore Orioles, before ...

trade. In the middle of the 2008 season, he was placed on the disabled list due to a torn labrum in his right shoulder. He became a free agent following the 2010 season.

Boston Red Sox

On December 16, 2010, Albers signed a one-year contract with the

. With the 2011 Red Sox, he made 56 relief appearances, compiling a 4–4 record with 4.73 ERA, 68 strikeouts, and 31 walks in innings pitched. On December 12, 2011, Albers signed a one-year deal to return to Boston, thus avoiding arbitration. During his time with the 2012 Red Sox, he made 40 relief appearances and posted a 2–0 record with a 2.29 ERA, 25 strikeouts and 15 walks in innings pitched.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On July 31, 2012, the Red Sox traded Albers and outfielder Scott Podsednik to the

for relief pitcher

Craig Breslow Craig Andrew Breslow (; born August 8, 1980) is an American baseball executive and former professional baseball pitcher. He is currently the President of baseball operations, Chief Baseball Officer of the Boston Red Sox. Breslow pitched for 12 ...

. In 23 relief appearances with Arizona, Albers went 1–1 with a 2.57 ERA.

Cleveland Indians

On December 11, 2012, Albers was traded along with relief pitcher Bryan Shaw and starting pitcher Trevor Bauer to the

as part of a three-way deal involving the Diamondbacks and

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

. Drew Stubbs went from the Reds to the Indians, the

received relief pitcher Tony Sipp and first baseman Lars Anderson from the Indians, and shortstop

Didi Gregorius Mariekson Julius "Didi" Gregorius (born February 18, 1990) is a Curaçao, Curaçaoan-Netherlands, Dutch professional baseball shortstop for the Algodoneros de Unión Laguna of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Basebal ...

from the Reds. The

received right fielder Shin-Soo Choo, infielder Jason Donald, and $3.5 million from Cleveland. He became a free agent following the 2013 season.

Houston Astros (second stint)

On December 16, 2013, Albers signed a one-year contract worth $2.45 million that came with a club option for 2015. In 8 games for the Astros in 2014, he posted an 0.90 ERA with 8 strikeouts over 10 innings pitched. Houston declined his 2015 option on October 9, 2014, making him a free agent.

Chicago White Sox

On February 13, 2015, he signed a minor league contract with the

. He had his contract selected to the major league roster on April 5. On April 22, 2015, Albers was involved in a bench-clearing brawl against the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

. Albers suffered a fractured finger trying to escape the fracas, which placed him on the 15-day disabled list. On January 21, 2016, Albers signed a one-year, $2.25 million contract. On June 1, 2016, Albers hit a double in the 13th inning, advanced on a wild pitch, and scored on a sacrifice fly. It proved to be the winning run as the White Sox won against the Mets 2–1. He became a free agent following the 2016 season.

Washington Nationals

On January 31, 2017, Albers signed a minor league contract with the

that included an invitation to spring training. He was released on March 27, 2017, despite giving up no earned runs over innings. The Nationals re-signed Albers, and promoted him to the major leagues on April 9. On May 5, 2017, Albers recorded his first career save in a 4–2 victory over the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

. He became a free agent following the 2017 season.

Milwaukee Brewers

On January 30, 2018, Albers signed a two-year, $5 million deal, with the

. He became a free agent following the 2019 season.

Pitching style

Albers is mainly a sinkerball pitcher, throwing it in the 93–96 mph range. He complements the sinker with a hard slider and an occasional curveball.

Personal life

As of 2017, Albers and his family reside in

The Woodlands, Texas The Woodlands is a Special district (United States), special-purpose district and census-designated place (CDP) in the U.S. state of Texas in the Greater Houston, Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan statistical area. The Woodlands ...

, a suburb of

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

. Albers' wife Tara was eight months pregnant with the couple's second child when

Hurricane Harvey Hurricane Harvey was a devastating tropical cyclone that made landfall in Texas and Louisiana in August 2017, causing catastrophic flooding and more than 100 deaths. It is tied with 2005's Hurricane Katrina as the costliest tropical cy ...

hit the region in August 2017. She and their son evacuated to

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

as a result of the storm. Albers partnered with

teammate

Anthony Rendon Anthony Michael Rendon (, ; born June 6, 1990) is an American baseball third baseman for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played for the Washington Nationals and was a member of the Nationals' 2019 World S ...

, a fellow

ian, to set up a

YouCaring YouCaring was a crowdfunding website for personal, medical, and charitable causes. The company was a B Corporation (certification), Certified B corporation based in San Francisco, California. YouCaring did not take a percentage of funds raised on ...

fundraiser page to raise money for donations to the Houston Food Bank in the wake of the hurricane.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Albers, Matt 1983 births Living people Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from Houston Houston Astros players Baltimore Orioles players Boston Red Sox players Arizona Diamondbacks players Cleveland Indians players Chicago White Sox players Washington Nationals players 21st-century American sportsmen Milwaukee Brewers players San Jacinto Central Ravens baseball players Martinsville Astros players Tri-City ValleyCats players Lexington Legends players Salem Avalanche players Round Rock Express players Mesa Solar Sox players Corpus Christi Hooks players Aberdeen IronBirds players Norfolk Tides players Pawtucket Red Sox players Charlotte Knights players Birmingham Barons players