Jo Matumoto

Jo Matumoto
Pitcher
Born: (1971-02-05) February 5, 1971 (age 55)
São Paulo, Brazil
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Jo Matumoto (born February 5, 1971) is a Brazilian former professional baseball player. He is a left-handed pitcher.

Matumoto was born in Brazil and is of Japanese descent. He emerged from complete obscurity, signed by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2007 as an undrafted free agent at the age of 36. Matumoto's wife had contacted agent Randy Hendricks by email as she desperately searched for someone in North America to give Matumoto an opportunity. Hendricks arranged tryouts for him and he was subsequently signed. Matumoto did not speak any English at that time. He became a free agent at the end of the 2008 season.

Matumoto played in the corporate leagues in Japan for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, NKK, and Yamaha. He then played for Brazilian club Nippon Blue Jays—a team unaffiliated with the Toronto Blue Jays, but founded by a former Toronto Blue Jays farm team player, fellow Brazilian Jose Pett.

Matumoto began playing for the Brazilian national team in 1995 and was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the 2005 South American Games when he led Brazil to a victory over Venezuela. He was considered the ace of the national team. Matumoto pitches with a three-quarters delivery, throwing in the high 80s with a solid slider. His best pitch was a screwball.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Official Site of The Toronto Blue Jays: Official Info: Blue Jays sign Matumoto". Archived from the original on 2011-05-18. Retrieved 2007-02-24.
  2. 1 2 3 Bastian, Jordan. "Matumoto can't believe his good fortune". MLB.com. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Jays put pitching talent through their paces; Matumoto headed to minors". National Post. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
  4. 1 2 "Brazilian pitcher goes on storybook odyssey". National Post. CanWest News Service. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
  5. 1 2 Fidlin, Ken. "Jays give old rookie a shot". Sun Media. Archived from the original on January 19, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Wife's plea gets Matumoto a job". Toronto Star. Retrieved July 20, 2011. [dead link]
  7. ↑ "Brazilian pitcher agrees to minor league contract with Blue Jays". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved July 20, 2011.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  8. ↑ "Transaction Analysis: February 21–28, 2007". Baseball Prospectus. March 2007. Retrieved July 20, 2011.