Happy Belated Birthday to Christy Matthewson, one of the greatest pitchers ever played. Throughout his seventeen-year career in the twentieth century, mainly for the New York Giants, he is considered the first great pitching star of the modern era.

Career Statistics/Accolades: (1900-1916)

373-188 W-L 2.13 ERA 4,788 IP 2,507 SO 1.058 WHIP

• 5x ERA Champion

• 2x Pitching Triple Crown (1905 & 1908)

• 1905 World Series Champion

Known for his famous “Fadeaway” pitch, now considered a screwball, he could easily baffle the opposing batters with pinpoint control. Mathewson was also known for his great concentration on the mound. The high point of his career was in 1905. Not only did he win his first Pitching Triple Crown, but he and the Giants would also go on to win the World Series with him winning three games, all of them being complete game shutouts. Mathewson won 20 or more games thirteen times, twelve consecutively (1903-1914). Also, for a fourteen-year spean from 1901-14, Mathewson threw for 266.2 or more Innings. In 1908, his second Triple Crown season, he set a modern-era record for wins from an N.L. pitcher with 37. Mathewson All-time has the 5th lowest ERA, the 6th lowest WHIP, and is 3rd all-time in Wins and Shutouts. His prime years were 1901-1914; he led in Wins, WHIP, and Shutouts four times and ERA and Strikeouts five times.

Prime Years (1901-1914) AVG:

26-12 W-L 2.04 ERA 321 IP 173 K 1.048 WHIP (37 Starts)

A couple of other good qualities regarding Mathewson are what a classy guy he was on and off the field. Also, he was an excellent hitting pitcher, hitting for a .215 BA, 362 Hits, 7 HR, 167 RBI, .272 OBP, and 151 Runs.

After his career, Mathewson enlisted in the US Army during World War I in late 1918. Unfortunately, Mathewson was accidentally gassed during a chemical training exercise and developed tuberculous, leading to his death in 1925 at 45. He wouldn’t be alive to witness it, but in 1936, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame as one of the first five inductees, along with Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, and Walter Johnson. In 1999, he was ranked #7 on The Sporting News 100 Greatest Ballplayers List.

References:

1. Christy Mathewson via Wikipedia: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christy_Mathewson

2. Christy Mathewson Career Statistics via Baseball Reference: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mathech01.shtml