Growing up in Arizona, Matthews played Little League and one year of travel baseball though he said hockey often got in the way. His dad Brian was a pitcher, playing baseball at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.
"I wasn't much of a pitcher growing up, I had a pretty wild arm," Matthews said. "I usually caught. I pitched a little bit but not very good."
"I like to think growing up and playing, I had a decent throw. I like baseball, it was fun growing up. My dad played so we had something we always bonded over."
While he knows all the cameras will be rolling when he takes to the field, Matthews was not about to make it easier on himself by getting closer to home plate.
"I think you've got to throw it from the rubber for sure, which I think makes it a little more difficult," Matthews said. "I've thrown from there before and you see how high up they are, it definitely throws you off a bit but the right way to do it is definitely from the rubber."
Mitchell Marner threw out a ceremonial first pitch at the Blue Jays game on Jun. 13, 2017 and set the standard fairly high for Matthews. Marner pitched from the rubber and though the pitch was slightly off the plate, he did get it there in the air. He said he is not too worried about Matthews' pitching ability.
"He's a baseball player growing up, he knows how to throw a baseball," Marner said. "We were joking around with him asking what he's throwing tonight and if he's going to confuse the catcher. I'm sure he will do great with the throw. It would be fun if he does chunk it ... That would be quite funny but he's an American, lived in Arizona his whole life. I'm sure he played a lot of baseball so there shouldn't be too much worry with him."
