Texas Rangers pitcher Matt Bush makes MLB debut just months after serving prison sentence

MATT Bush has made his MLB debut just eight months after being released from prison for a drink driving crash that nearly killed a motorcyclist.

Matt Bush finally made it to the big leagues 12 years after being drafted.

MATT Bush, who spent 42 months in prison for a drink driving crash that nearly killed a motorcyclist, made his Major League Baseball debut on Saturday (EST) when called up by the Texas Rangers.

And he didn’t disappoint, throwing a scoreless inning of relief late on in a 5-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.

He impressively worked his way through the imposing trio of Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion with a mixture of fastballs and his hard sliders.

Bush’s career was thought over after his stay in a Florida prison for the traffic accident, but he was released last October and signed a development-league deal with Texas after showing he could still throw at nearly 100 mph.

The 30-year-old was the top overall pick by the San Diego Padres in 2004 Major League Baseball Draft but he was arrested in a nightclub incident before ever playing a professional game and he was later arrested for assaulting two high school lacrosse players. Bush was traded to Toronto and later released by the Blue Jays.

Bush was later arrested for throwing objects at cars at a San Diego shopping mall and charged with drink driving after a crash before given a chance with Tampa Bay that ended with the incident that led to his time in prison.

But in his development-league games this year, Bush has struck out 18 batters in 17 innings, allowing nine hits while walking four with a 2.65 earned-run average and five saves.

Originally published as Texas Rangers pitcher Matt Bush makes MLB debut just months after serving prison sentence