Richard Carlton Matula (born November 22, 1953) is a former

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pit ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

who played from 1979 to 1981 for the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

. Listed at 6' 0", 190 lb., he batted and threw right handed. Born in

Wharton, Texas Wharton is a city in and the county seat of Wharton County, Texas, Wharton County, Texas, United States. This city is southwest of Houston. The population was 8,832 at the 2010 census and 8,627 at the 2020 census. Wharton is located on the Colora ...

, Matula was originally selected by the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

in the 16th round of the

1972 MLB Draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1972 Major League Baseball draft. ''*'' Did not sign Other notable selections ''*'' Did not sign Background The Montreal Expos had perhaps their best draft in franc ...

. But he chose not to sign, instead going on to attend

Sam Houston State University Sam Houston State University (SHSU or Sam) is a public university in Huntsville, Texas. It was founded in 1879 and is the third-oldest public college or university in Texas. It is one of the first normal schools west of the Mississippi River and ...

. He was drafted again by the Braves in the 14th round of the 1976 draft, and after signing was assigned to the

Kingsport Braves Kingsport is a city in Sullivan County, Tennessee, Sullivan and Hawkins County, Tennessee, Hawkins counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, its population was 55,442. Lying along the Holston Ri ...

. There, Matula went 3–5 with a 2.63 ERA in 20 appearances (48

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...

). He also appeared in three games for the

Greenwood Braves The Greenwood Braves were a single-A minor league baseball team located in Greenwood, South Carolina that existed from 1968 to 1979. History Affiliated with the Atlanta Braves, the Braves were members of the Western Carolinas League. The Brave ...

, posting a 1–0 record and 7.50 ERA in six innings. Overall that season, Matula went 4–5 with a 3.17 ERA in 54 innings. In 1977, Matula split time between the Greenwood Braves and

Savannah Braves The Savannah Braves were a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves from 1971 to 1983. They were located in Savannah, Georgia, and played their home games at Grayson Stadium. The franchis ...

. With Greenwood, he went 2–1 with a 2.14 ERA in 21 innings of work. With Savannah, he went 8–5 with a 3.24 ERA in 100 innings (22 games). Combined, he went 10–6 with a 3.05 ERA. Matula went a combined 10–5 with a 3.12 ERA in 127 innings in 1978. He split time between the Savannah Braves and

Richmond Braves The Richmond Braves were an American minor league baseball club based in Richmond, Virginia, the Triple-A International League affiliate of the Atlanta Braves from 1966 to 2008. Owned by the parent Atlanta club and colloquially referred to as the ...

. On April 8, 1979, Matula made his major league debut at the age of 25. Although he gave up no walks and only two earned runs in seven innings of work, he still lost against the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

starter,

Joe Niekro Joseph Franklin Niekro ( ; November 7, 1944 – October 27, 2006) was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He was the younger brother of pitcher Phil Niekro, and the father of former Major League first baseman Lance Niekro. Niekr ...

(Niekro pitched a complete game shutout). He made 28 starts in his rookie season, going 8–10 with a 4.15 ERA in 171.1 innings. He was ahead in most of the 10 games that didn't get the statistic for, when the reliever took the loss. Not a strikeout pitcher, he walked 64 batters and struck out only 67. In 1980, Matula made 33 appearances (30 starts), going 11–13 with a 4.58 ERA. In 176.2 innings, he struck out only 62 batters and his 13 losses were the ninth most in the league. For the majority of the 1981 season, Matula was in the minors, with the Richmond Braves. He appeared in 16 games for them, making 11 starts and going 7–4 with a 2.97 ERA. He didn't do so well in the majors, making five relief appearances and posting an ERA of 6.43. He played his final major league game on June 11 that year. On March 29, 1982, he was released by the Braves. He played for the

Evansville Triplets The Evansville Triplets were a Minor League Baseball team of the Triple-A American Association (AA) from 1970 to 1984. They were located in Evansville, Indiana, and played their home games at Bosse Field. The Triplets served as a farm club for t ...

in the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

organization and

Denver Bears Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...

in the Texas Rangers organization, going a combined 3–8 with a 5.62 ERA in 36 appearances, (10 starts). Overall, Matula made 66 appearances in the majors (58 starts). He went 19–23 with a 4.41 ERA, striking out 129 batters and walking 126 in 355 innings of work. As a batter, he hit .099 in 111

at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

s, walking three times and striking out 48 times.

Sources

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RetrosheetPelota Binaria (Venezuelan Winter League)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matula, Rick Living people 1953 births Atlanta Braves players Baseball players from Texas Cardenales de Lara players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Denver Bears players Evansville Triplets players Greenwood Braves players Kingsport Braves players Major League Baseball pitchers People from Wharton, Texas Richmond Braves players Sam Houston Bearkats baseball players Savannah Braves players