Matt Herges
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Matthew Tyler Herges (born April 1, 1970) 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 ...
relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who pitches in the game after the starting pitcher or another relief pitcher has been removed from the game due to fatigue (medical), fatigue, injury, ineffectiveness, ejection ...
who played in
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
(MLB) from 1999 to 2009, and is the former pitching coach for the
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 ...
. Herges played in MLB for the
Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
,
Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...
,
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. ...
,
San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
,
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 ...
,
Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. The team plays its home games at LoanDepot Park. The ...
,
Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...
, and
Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...
. He is one of only two players, along with
Steve Finley Steven Allen Finley (born March 12, 1965) is an American former center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for eight teams between 1989 and 2007, most notably the Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, and Arizona Diamondbacks. He is one of o ...
, to play for all five
National League West The National League West is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was created for the 1969 season when the National League (baseball), National League (NL) expanded to 12 teams by adding the San Diego Padres and the Montr ...
teams. He is an alumnus of
Illinois State University Illinois State University (ISU) is a public research university in Normal, Illinois, United States. It was founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University and is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teachin ...
and is the brother-in-law of former Major League Baseball player
Todd Hollandsworth Todd Mathew Hollandsworth (born April 20, 1973) is an American former professional baseball outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). In , he won the National League Rookie of the Year Award, setting a record as the fifth consecutive Los Angele ...
.


Career


Amateur

A native of
Champaign, Illinois Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Illinois, tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in ...
, Herges attended Centennial High School and Illinois State. In 1990, he played
collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...
with the
Brewster Whitecaps The Brewster Whitecaps are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Brewster, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Whitecaps play their home games at Stony Bro ...
of the
Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over 1,000 forme ...
.


Los Angeles Dodgers

Herges was signed by the
Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
as an amateur
free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
in 1992. He began his career with the
Yakima Bears The Yakima Bears were a minor league baseball team in the northwest United States, located in Yakima, Washington. The Bears competed at the Class A Short Season level as members of the Northwest League from 1990 to 2012. Following the 2012 season ...
in 1992, then played with the
Bakersfield Dodgers Bakersfield is a city in and the county seat of Kern County, California, United States. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, which is located in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. Bakersf ...
(1993) and
Vero Beach Dodgers Vero may refer to: Geography * Vero Beach, Florida, a city in the United States * Vero, Corse-du-Sud, a commune of France in Corsica Other * ''Véro'', a talk show on the Radio-Canada television network * Vero (app), a social media company co-found ...
(1994). Herges went to spring training as a
replacement player In professional sports, a replacement player is an sportsperson, athlete who is not a member of the league's players association and plays during a labor dispute such as a Strike action, strike or Lockout (industry), lockout, serving as a strikebre ...
in 1995 when the
Major League Baseball Players' Association The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) is the Labor unions in the United States, labor union representing all current Major League Baseball (MLB) and Minor League Baseball (MiLB) players. All players, Manager (baseball), managers, ...
was on strike. As a result, he was barred from membership in the Association for the rest of his career, depriving him of certain revenue sharing sources available to other players. Herges remained in the Dodgers farm system after the strike, playing for the San Bernardino Spirit (1995),
San Antonio Missions The San Antonio Missions are a Minor League Baseball team based in San Antonio, Texas. The Missions compete in the Texas League as the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. The team plays its home games at Nelson W. W ...
(1995–1996) and
Albuquerque Dukes The Albuquerque Dukes were a minor league baseball team based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. History The first Dukes team was formed in 1915 as part of the Class D Rio Grande Association. The team finished in third place with a 32-25 record. Fran ...
(1996–1999). He also played with the Adelaide Giants in the
Australian Baseball League The Australian Baseball League (ABL) is a professional baseball league in Australia. The league is governed by the Australian Baseball Federation (ABF). It uses the same name as a now-defunct competition held during the 1990s, and though it s ...
during the 1999 off-season. Herges made his
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
debut later that year with the Dodgers on August 3 against 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 ...
, allowing 1 unearned run in 1.2 innings of relief. He only played in 17 games in 1999 but became a full-time member of the Dodgers bullpen the next season. He picked up his first win on April 21, 2000, against the
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 ...
and went on to win his first 8 decisions. His first loss was on August 7 against the
Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...
, his first game as a starting pitcher. Between 1999 and 2001, he appeared in 151 games for the Dodgers, including starting 4 games in 2000. He posted a 20–13 record and a 3.38 ERA. Herges went into spring training in 2002 expecting to be the Dodgers closer after the retirement of Jeff Shaw. However, he pitched poorly in spring training games, with some speculating that it was due to the Dodgers failure to sign him to a contract extension. He wound up losing the role to converted starter Éric Gagné.


Montreal Expos

The Dodgers traded Herges to the
Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...
on March 23, 2002, in exchange for Guillermo Mota and Wilkin Ruan. He pitched in 62 games for the Expos, with a 2–5 record and 4.04 ERA with 6 saves.


San Diego Padres

Herges was traded by the Expos to the
Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...
on December 20, 2002, for Chris Young. However the Pirates released him on March 26, 2003, after he was unable to win a roster spot in spring training. 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. ...
signed him as a free agent a few days later, on April 1. He pitched in 40 games with the Padres, with a 2–2 record and 2.86 ERA.


San Francisco Giants

Herges was traded by the Padres to the
San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
on July 13, 2003, for
Clay Hensley Clayton Allen Hensley (born August 31, 1979) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Florida Marlins, and San Francisco Giants. Early life Hensley attended Lamar Un ...
and cash. He pitched with the Giants for parts of 3 seasons. He was the primary setup man for most of that time, but also picked up 23 saves in 2004 when he filled in at closer for the injured Robb Nen. He pitched in a total of 118 games for the Giants, with an ERA of 4.30 and a 6–6 record.


Arizona Diamondbacks

The Giants traded him to the
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 ...
on June 3, 2005, in exchange for Doug DeVore. Herges appeared in just 7 games with the Diamondbacks and allowed 12 earned runs to score in 8 innings for a 13.50 ERA. He was promptly designated for assignment on June 18. He cleared waivers and reported to the AAA
Tucson Sidewinders Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson metropolitan s ...
, where he appeared in 26 games the rest of the season with a 1–2 record and 3.14 ERA.


Florida Marlins

Herges became a free agent after the 2005 season and signed with the
Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. The team plays its home games at LoanDepot Park. The ...
. He appeared in 66 games for the Marlins, with a 2–3 record and 4.31 ERA.


Colorado Rockies

Herges signed as a free agent with the
Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...
on February 18, 2007. With this signing, he joined outfielder
Steve Finley Steven Allen Finley (born March 12, 1965) is an American former center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for eight teams between 1989 and 2007, most notably the Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, and Arizona Diamondbacks. He is one of o ...
in being one of only two players in
MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
history to play for every team within a five-team division. Herges has appeared for every team in the
National League West The National League West is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was created for the 1969 season when the National League (baseball), National League (NL) expanded to 12 teams by adding the San Diego Padres and the Montr ...
. He tied this record on April 19, 2007. He split the 2007 season between the Rockies and the
Colorado Springs Sky Sox The Colorado Springs Sky Sox were a Minor League Baseball team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and was the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers (2015–2018), Colorado R ...
in AAA and then played the whole 2008 season with the Rockies. He appeared in the
2007 World Series The 2007 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2007 season. The 103rd edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion Colorado Rockies and the American ...
as a member of the Rockies, pitching 3 scoreless innings in relief against the
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 ...
.


Cleveland Indians

He signed a minor league contract with the
Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...
that contained a spring training invite on January 16, 2009. He began the season with the
Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, merch ...
and was promoted to the Indians on May 6. In 21 games with the Indians, he was 2–1 with a 3.55 ERA before he was designated for assignment on July 4.


Return to the Colorado Rockies

After his release by the Indians, he re-signed with the Rockies to a minor league deal on July 20, 2009. He pitched in 13 games for Colorado Springs and another 9 for the Rockies.


Kansas City Royals

He signed as a minor league free agent with 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 ...
on January 10, 2010. He did not play for the Royals but spent the entire season in AAA with the
Omaha Royals Omaha ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 41st-most-populous city, Omaha had a popu ...
, where he was 9–4 with a 4.63 ERA in 43 appearances and also started 5 games. He retired after the season.


Coaching career

He was hired by the
Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
as a minor league pitching instructor in 2011 and was the pitching coach for the
Arizona League Dodgers The Arizona Complex League Dodgers are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona. The team is compo ...
. For 2012 he was promoted to be the pitching coach for the Class-A
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Rancho Cucamonga, California, and play their home games at LoanMart Field. The franc ...
. After three seasons with the Quakes, he was promoted to be the pitching coach with the Double-A
Tulsa Drillers The Tulsa Drillers are a minor league baseball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers major-league club. Stadium The Drillers play at ONEOK Field (pronounc ...
of the
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 ...
. In 2016, Herges was promoted again, to the AAA
Oklahoma City Dodgers The Oklahoma City Comets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and play their ho ...
of the
Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...
. He was the bullpen coach for the
San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
in 2018 and 2019. Herges was hired as the
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 ...
pitching coach on October 31, 2019. He spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons with the team. In October 2021, the Diamondbacks announced that several coaches, including Herges, would not be retained.


Steroid use

After he was mentioned in the
Mitchell Report The ''Report to the Commissioner of Baseball of an Independent Investigation into the Illegal Use of Steroids and Other Performance Enhancing Substances by Players in Major League Baseball'', informally known as the Mitchell Report, is the res ...
, Herges admitted that he had used steroids and
human growth hormone Growth hormone (GH) or somatotropin, also known as human growth hormone (hGH or HGH) in its human form, is a peptide hormone that stimulates growth, cell reproduction, and cell regeneration in humans and other animals. It is thus important in ...
during his career.


See also

*
List of Major League Baseball players named in the Mitchell Report The following is a list of Major League Baseball players named in the Mitchell Report, including active and former Major League players as well as free agents. The Report is the result of former US Senator George J. Mitchell's ( D– ME) 20-mo ...


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Herges, Matt 1970 births Living people Albuquerque Dukes players 20th-century American sportsmen American expatriate baseball players in Canada Arizona Diamondbacks coaches Arizona Diamondbacks players Bakersfield Dodgers players Baseball coaches from Illinois Baseball players from Champaign, Illinois Brewster Whitecaps players Cleveland Indians players Colorado Rockies players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Columbus Clippers players Florida Marlins players Illinois State Redbirds baseball players Los Angeles Dodgers players Leones del Caracas players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Major League Baseball bullpen coaches Minor league baseball coaches Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball pitching coaches Major League Baseball replacement players Montreal Expos players Omaha Royals players Portland Beavers players San Antonio Missions players San Bernardino Spirit players San Diego Padres players San Francisco Giants coaches San Francisco Giants players Tucson Sidewinders players Vero Beach Dodgers players Yakima Bears players American expatriate baseball players in Australia Adelaide Giants players