To say it has been quite a journey in recent years for Mission Bay High grad Matt Bush would be an understatement.
The former Buccaneer has dealt with more than his share of adversity, but that hasn’t stopped him from going after his goal of making it back to Major League Baseball.
Bush, a former No. 1 overall draft pick (2004) by his hometown San Diego Padres, may have thought he’d never see a baseball diamond again after going to prison to serve a 3 ½-year sentence following a drunk driving offense.
Well, the baseball diamond (not to mention the fans of the Texas Rangers) greeted Bush kindly last Friday evening in Arlington, Texas.
Bush, called up by the Rangers after playing on their Double-A farm team in Frisco (Texas), pitched a perfect ninth inning in the team’s 5-0 loss to the visiting Toronto Blue Jays.
Despite the Rangers losing on the field, the appearance of Bush on the mound was a win-win for both he and the hometown crowd.
In comments to MLB.com, Bush, a former shortstop, noted it was a “dream come true” to be out on a Major League mound after what he had gone through in recent years halfway across the country in a Florida prison.
While a career with his hometown team in San Diego never materialized, Bush would go on to stints in both Toronto and Tampa Bay, the last of which would lead to troubles off the field. One bad decision In March of 2012, Bush was charged in Florida with DUI and departing an accident scene, an accident that seriously injured an elderly man. After a plea of no contest, Bush would be sentenced and begin serving time behind bars.
Getting another opportunity at a career in baseball, Bush has gone from Frisco to Arlington, with the goal of doing something positive with his life now that he has turned 30.
His life off the field still includes a number of set requirements in order to play baseball, including being part of Alcoholic Anonymous, avoiding alcohol, and going without a driver’s license.
As he told MLB.com following his appearance versus Toronto last week, he never again wants to be that person he was a few years back, drinking and ultimately having his freedom taken away from him.
“I like myself sober,” Bush commented to MLB.com. “I’m living a dream, and I don’t want to stop.”
For Bush, along with his personal and Mission Bay High family who’ve stuck by him, the only strikeouts they want are of opposing hitters.