Matthew John Kinney (born December 16, 1976) is an American former professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
. He spent with the
Saitama Seibu Lions
The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based north of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Seibu Railway ...
of the
Nippon Professional Baseball
or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''.
Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...
(MLB). Kinney is a graduate of
Bangor High School
Bangor High School, a member of the Bangor School System, is a high school in Bangor, Maine, United States. It has an enrollment of approximately 1,200 students in grades 9–12.
It is Bangor's only public high school.
Since its 2001–2002 sel ...
. Kinney and his Little League team was featured in the
Stephen King essay
"Head Down", featured in King's
Nightmares and Dreamscapes
''Nightmares & Dreamscapes'' is a short story collection by American author Stephen King, published in 1993.
Stories
Dedication
King dedicated this collection of stories to Thomas Williams, a writing instructor who taught for many years at ...
collection.
He now resides in Maine with his wife Megan and sons Maddox Kinney and Mason Kinney.
Career
Kinney was drafted out of Bangor High School in the sixth round of the 1995 amateur draft by 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) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...
. He was traded to the
Minnesota Twins along with
John Barnes
John Charles Bryan Barnes MBE (born 7 November 1963) is a former professional football player and manager. He currently works as an author, commentator and pundit for ESPN and SuperSport. Initially a quick, skilful left winger, he moved to ce ...
for
Orlando Merced
Orlando Luis Merced Villanueva (born November 2, 1966) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and outfielder. He played all or parts of 13 seasons in the majors for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1990–1996), Toronto Blue Jays (1997), Minnesota ...
and
Greg Swindell in July 1998. Kinney made his MLB debut in with the Twins, going 2–2 with a 5.10
ERA
An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth.
Comp ...
in 8 starts. In , he had just a 4.64 ERA with the Minnesota Twins, but went 2-7 that year. He was traded in the 2002 off-season to the
Milwaukee Brewers. In and with the Brewers, he combined for a 13–17 record. On August 6, 2004, Kinney was designated for assignment by the Brewers and was claimed off waivers by the
Kansas City Royals. He made 11 relief appearances with the Royals that season. During the 2007- offseason, Kinney signed with the Saitama Seibu Lions, playing in Japan for a single season. Kinney returned to the United States in 2009 to play with the
Fresno Grizzlies
The Fresno Grizzlies are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They are located in Fresno, California, and play their home games at Chukchansi Park, which was opened in 2002 in d ...
, the AAA affiliate of the
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...
.
Kinney gave up
Barry Bonds' 660th
home run
In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
, which tied Bonds with his
godfather Willie Mays
Willie Howard Mays Jr. (born May 6, 1931), nicknamed "the Say Hey Kid" and "Buck", is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). Regarded as one of the greatest players ever, Mays ranks second behind only Babe Ruth on most all-tim ...
.
On August 24, 2010, while with the Triple-A
Fresno Grizzlies
The Fresno Grizzlies are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They are located in Fresno, California, and play their home games at Chukchansi Park, which was opened in 2002 in d ...
of the Pacific Coast League, Kinney received a 50-game suspension after testing positive for an amphetamine, a banned performance-enhancing substance. Kinney took responsibility for the suspension but explained that the amphetamine in question was contained in
Adderall
Adderall and Mydayis are trade names for a combination drug called mixed amphetamine salts containing four salts of amphetamine. The mixture is composed of equal parts racemic amphetamine and dextroamphetamine, which produces a (3:1) ratio ...
, a drug he has been taking since 2005 to treat his
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by excessive amounts of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that are pervasive, impairing in multiple contexts, and otherwise age-inap ...
, and was taken for medical reasons, not to boost his on-field performance. The suspension came as a result of his forgetting to file the proper paperwork with Major League Baseball when he signed with the Giants earlier in the year.
Maine native Kinney explains baseball suspension
''Portland Press Herald
The ''Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram'' is a morning daily newspaper with a website that serves southern Maine and is focused on the greater metropolitan area around Portland, Maine, in the United States.
Founded in 1862, its roots e ...
''
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kinney, Matt
1976 births
Living people
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
American expatriate baseball players in Japan
American disabled sportspeople
American sportspeople in doping cases
Baseball players from Maine
Baseball players suspended for drug offenses
Baseball players with disabilities
Edmonton Trappers players
Fort Myers Miracle players
Fresno Grizzlies players
Gulf Coast Red Sox players
Gulf Coast Twins players
Kansas City Royals players
Lowell Spinners players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Michigan Battle Cats players
Milwaukee Brewers players
Minnesota Twins players
New Britain Rock Cats players
Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers
Saitama Seibu Lions players
Salt Lake Buzz players
San Francisco Giants players
San Jose Giants players
Sarasota Red Sox players
Sportspeople from Bangor, Maine