Overcoming the yips
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The yips is a scary thing in baseball; not being to throw accurately suddenly can be an immense detriment for most players. One can quickly go from an All-Star pitcher to being out of baseball like Steve Blass did. Tyler Matzek is one of the few who overcame the yips in the major leagues.
Tyler was a first-round pick by the Colorado Rockies in 2009. He made it to the major leagues five years later. However, he got demoted the following year by the Colorado Rockies in 2015 due to control issues. The Rockies released him in 2016, the Chicago White Sox in 2017, the Seattle Mariners in 2017, and the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2019. Between the short stints with all the MLB teams, he pitched successfully in an independent league for the Texas Airhogs in 2018 and 2019.
The Atlanta Braves signed him to a minor league contract in 2019, and Tyler was on the opening day roster the following year. That year, he pitched 29 innings with a 2.79 ERA and has been a successful relief pitcher ever since. He helped the Atlanta Braves win a World Series in 2021, even throwing two scoreless innings in the final game.
Social Media
| Year | Age | Tm | Lg | W | L | W-L% | ERA | G | GS | GF | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | IBB | SO | ERA+ | FIP | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 23 | COL | NL | 6 | 11 | .353 | 4.05 | 20 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 117.2 | 120 | 53 | 53 | 9 | 44 | 1 | 91 | 105 | 3.78 | 1.394 |
| 2015 | 24 | COL | NL | 2 | 1 | .667 | 4.09 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22.0 | 21 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 19 | 0 | 15 | 115 | 5.95 | 1.818 |
| 2020 | 29 | ATL | NL | 4 | 3 | .571 | 2.79 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29.0 | 23 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 43 | 169 | 1.92 | 1.138 |
| 2021 | 30 | ATL | NL | 0 | 4 | .000 | 2.57 | 69 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 63.0 | 40 | 19 | 18 | 3 | 37 | 5 | 77 | 169 | 3.20 | 1.222 |
| 2022 | 31 | ATL | NL | 4 | 2 | .667 | 3.50 | 42 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 43.2 | 26 | 21 | 17 | 3 | 29 | 2 | 36 | 117 | 4.49 | 1.260 |
| 5 Yr | 5 Yr | 5 Yr | 5 Yr | 16 | 21 | .432 | 3.50 | 157 | 24 | 23 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 275.1 | 230 | 112 | 107 | 18 | 139 | 8 | 262 | 124 | 3.74 | 1.340 |
| 162 | 162 | 162 | 162 | 6 | 8 | .432 | 3.50 | 59 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 103 | 86 | 42 | 40 | 7 | 52 | 3 | 98 | 124 | 3.74 | 1.340 |
| ATL | ATL | ATL | ATL | 8 | 9 | .471 | 2.92 | 132 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 135.2 | 89 | 49 | 44 | 7 | 76 | 7 | 156 | 149 | 3.34 | 1.216 |
| COL | COL | COL | COL | 8 | 12 | .400 | 4.06 | 25 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 139.2 | 141 | 63 | 63 | 11 | 63 | 1 | 106 | 107 | 4.12 | 1.461 |
Quotes
No teams called me, No teams wanted me to be on their team. I mean, who wants a guy who can't throw a strike, who can't throw a baseball?
Tyler Matzek
I never realized what normal was supposed to feel like, “‘Oh my God, this is how you’re supposed to feel?’ My whole life I’ve been dealing with this crazy-ass anxiety. And I just thought everybody was dealing with the same anxiety.”
Tyler Matzek
I used to take failure so poorly, instead of understanding it's just an opportunity for you to learn and get better for the next time,
Tyler Matzek
References
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Braves pitcher Tyler Matzek hopes to end stigma around mental health
Matzek, Colorado’s first-round pick in 2009, eventually was out of baseball for five years. He returned in 2020 and has carved out a great career since. He has conquered the yips and performance anxiety. Matzek is focused on helping end the stigma surrounding mental health.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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“I Was So Lost”: How Tyler Matzek Conquered the Yips to Become a World Series Champion
He didn’t know that he’d continue to dominate against the Astros in the World Series, allowing only one run in 5 1/3 innings, and that soon he’d parade with his teammates through Atlanta, a world champion, considered by many around the organization as the team’s playoff MVP.
The Ringer
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Tyler Matzek, Rick Ankiel, and the Science Behind the Yips
The yips are often associated with performance anxiety under extreme pressure, with the assumption being that the driving force of the yips is psychological. There is likely a psychological element to the yips that exacerbates the condition, but some researchers have adopted a continuum that has the yips on one side and choking under pressure on the other, with choking in clutch situations having more to do with the psychology of the performer.
Viva El Birdos
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How Tyler Matzek conquered the yips and became the MLB postseason’s most dominant reliever: “He’s all heart and courage”
Matzek, 31, credits two people for his baseball resurrection. His wife, of course, and Jason Kuhn, a former Navy SEAL, who once had his own ambitions of being a major league pitcher before the yips ended his dreams.
The Denver Post
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Can Tyler Matzek recover from performance anxiety in his pitching?
As defined by the National Institute of Mental Health, anxiety disorder is an umbrella term for an array of emotional ailments that annually affect about 40 million American adults — filling them with uncertainty and fearfulness. Baseball players are not immune.
The Denver Post
