Matt Keough

1.1. Childhood and Education

Born in Pomona, California, Keough graduated from Corona del Mar High School in Newport Beach, California, in 1973. His family had a strong connection to baseball, with his father, Marty Keough, and uncle, Joe Keough, both having played in Major League Baseball. His father's experience playing in Japan also exposed Matthew to Japanese culture and language from a young age.

1.2. Early Professional Career

Keough was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the seventh round of the 1973 Major League Baseball draft. He initially signed with Oakland as an infielder, with expectations that he might eventually replace Sal Bando at third base. In 1975, during his second year of professional baseball, he led the California League in hitting while playing for the Modesto A's. However, his batting performance declined significantly in 1976 when he hit a disappointing .210 in Double-A. Due to his low batting average and a recognized talent for pitching, Keough was converted to a pitcher in 1976 and joined the Oakland Athletics in the major leagues a year later, in 1977.

2.1. Oakland Athletics Era

Keough spent his most significant MLB years with the Oakland Athletics from 1977 to 1983. In his rookie season in 1978, he was selected to the All-Star Game, where he recorded a 3.24 ERA, despite finishing with an 8-15 record. The Athletics of the mid-to-late 1970s had significantly weakened following the departure of star players like Reggie Jackson due to the introduction of free agency, which impacted Keough's win-loss records.

The 1979 season proved to be a challenging one for Keough, as he tied a major league record by losing his first 14 decisions, ultimately finishing with a 2-17 record. His winning percentage of .105 that year was the worst recorded by an MLB pitcher with 15 or more decisions since 1916. From 1978 to 1979, he made 28 consecutive starts without a victory, tying Cliff Curtis (1910-11) for the longest streak in MLB history, a record later also tied by Jo-Jo Reyes (2008-11).

Despite these struggles, Keough experienced a significant resurgence in 1980, achieving a 16-13 record and earning AL Comeback Player of the Year honors. In the strike-shortened 1981 season, he finished with a 10-6 record, contributing to Oakland's clinch of the AL Division Series. He performed admirably in a losing effort in Game Three of the AL Championship Series, giving up only one earned run over 8 and 1/3 innings in a 4-0 loss to the New York Yankees.

However, Keough slumped again in 1982, tying for the American League lead with 18 losses against 11 wins in 34 starts. He also issued more walks than strikeouts (101-to-75) and led the league in both home runs allowed (38) and earned runs allowed (133). Many baseball historians and statisticians attribute this decline to manager Billy Martin overworking Keough and other members of the 1981 pitching rotation. For instance, in 2006, baseball writer Rob Neyer estimated that Keough threw an average of 131 pitches per complete game in 1981, a heavy workload for a young pitcher even at that time.

2.2. Later MLB Teams

In the middle of the 1983 season, the Athletics traded Keough to the New York Yankees in exchange for Marshall Brant and Ben Callahan. During his time with the Yankees and thereafter, he struggled with a sore arm, spending parts of two seasons in the minor leagues. He eventually returned to the majors with the St. Louis Cardinals late in 1985. In 1986, he divided his playing time between Triple-A, the Houston Astros, and the Chicago Cubs. His last MLB appearance was on October 2, 1986, in a game against the San Francisco Giants. Notably, the last batter he faced was Richard Lance (who would later join the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in Japan), whom he induced to hit a groundout to first base. In that same game, his teammates included Glenn Davis (who would also later play for the Hanshin Tigers) and Dan Gladden (who later played for the Yomiuri Giants in Japan).

Over his nine-season MLB career, Keough compiled a 58-84 record with 590 strikeouts and a 4.17 ERA in 1190 innings pitched, including seven shutouts and 57 complete games. He was also known to occasionally throw a spitball. In one notable instance, a spitball he threw to Boston Red Sox second baseman Jerry Remy was completely missed, appearing to be a strikeout, but the umpire, observing the significant break on the pitch, incorrectly ruled it a foul ball. On the next pitch, Remy hit a home run, which turned out to be the last of his career.

6.1. Family and Relationships

Keough hailed from a prominent baseball family. He was the son of Marty Keough and the nephew of Joe Keough, both of whom played in Major League Baseball. His father, Marty Keough, also had a stint playing in Nippon Professional Baseball for the Nankai Hawks in 1968, which led to Matthew spending time in Japan during his childhood. This experience fostered a familiarity with Japanese culture and some proficiency in the Japanese language. He was known to use Japanese puns, such as "Chotto Matt Keough," a play on words meaning "Wait a minute, Matt Keough." He reportedly watched the Japanese puppet show Hyokkori Hyotan-jima (The Gourd Island) extensively as a child and was particularly fond of the character ドン・ガバチョ_{Don Gabacho}^Japanese. It is said that during an All-Star break in Japan, he traveled to Miyazaki with his family and never used English.

In 1984, Keough married actress and November 1980 Playboy Playmate of the month, Jeana Tomasino. The couple unofficially separated in the 1990s, legally separated in 2004, and finalized their divorce in 2019. Both Matthew and Jeana appeared on the reality television series The Real Housewives of Orange County. They had three children together: Shane, Kara, and Colton. Their oldest son, Shane, became a third-generation professional baseball player, reaching the Stockton Ports, a Class A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics, before his release in 2010. Their daughter, Kara, married NFL player Kyle Bosworth.

6.2. Legal Issues and Health

Keough faced several legal challenges, primarily related to driving under the influence (DUI) incidents. In 2005, he was sentenced to 180 days in jail for a DUI offense on April 6, 2005, where he reportedly collided with a stopped car that then hit a person, after which he fled the scene. He received another 180-day jail sentence in 2008 for violating his probation by consuming alcohol. In 2010, he was sentenced to a year in jail for another DUI incident. Some reports and articles have suggested a possible connection between his recurrent drinking issues and the severe head injury he sustained during his baseball career.

8.1. Achievements and Contributions

On the field, Matthew Keough is remembered for his resilience and talent. His selection to the MLB All-Star Game in his rookie year of 1978 highlighted his early promise. His remarkable comeback in 1980, earning the Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year Award, demonstrated his ability to overcome adversity. Throughout his nine-season MLB career, he accumulated 58 wins, 590 strikeouts, and 57 complete games.

His transition to Nippon Professional Baseball with the Hanshin Tigers further solidified his reputation. He became an undisputed ace for the team, notable for being the first foreign pitcher to start an opening day game in his debut NPB season. His consistent performance, including three consecutive seasons of double-digit wins and a total of 45 victories in four years, was a crucial bright spot for the Hanshin Tigers during a period of team struggles. His ability to hit two home runs in NPB as a pitcher also added a unique dimension to his legacy.

8.2. Controversies and Challenges

Despite his athletic accomplishments, Keough's later life was marred by legal issues, primarily his repeated driving under the influence (DUI) offenses, which led to multiple jail sentences. These personal struggles became publicly known, raising questions about the broader challenges he faced off the field. Some discussions have linked his drinking habits to the severe head injury he sustained at the end of his playing career. His public life also included appearances on reality television, which further exposed aspects of his personal and family life to a wider audience.