Christy Mathewson
The greatest pitcher in Giants' history, Christy Mathewson was an idol to his fans. A clean-cut, well spoken gentleman, Mathewson was a rare breed in the early days of 20th century baseball. The right-hander won more games than any other pitcher in National League history and was one of the first five players elected to the Hall of Fame.
| Career Batting Stats |
| G |
AB |
H |
R |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
AVG |
SLG |
OBP |
OPS |
OPS+ |
| 646 |
1684 |
362 |
151 |
7 |
165 |
20 |
.215 |
.271 |
.272 |
.544 |
83.5 |
|
Quotes About Christy Mathewson
"He was an inspiration to everybody and may we have more of his kind. His sense of justice, his integrity, and sportsmanship made him far greater than Christy Mathewson the pitcher." — Kenesaw Mountain Landis speaking at the memorial service for Christy Mathewson
Teams Christy Mathewson Managed
Cincinnati Reds (1916-1918)
Christy Mathewson in Minor League Baseball
Where does Christy Mathewson rank among baseball greats?
Christy Mathewson ranks #8 among the Top 50 all-time at SP. Rankings ⇒
Christy Mathewson Teammates
Best Season: 1905
All you really need to know is that Mathewson's ERA (1.28) was more than two-and-a-half runs better than his league's (2.93). His record was 31-9 (how he lost nine games is incredible) and he paced the NL in wins, ERA, strikeouts, and shutouts. In the Fall Classic he shut out the Philadelphia A's three times, allowing just 14 hits. It could very well be the greatest single season any pitcher has ever had.
World Series Aces
Pitchers who have hurled three complete game wins in one World Series:
Christy Mathewson, Giants (1905 vs. A's)
27 IP, 14 H, 18 K, 1 BB, 0.00 ERA
Babe Adams, Pirates (1909 vs. Tigers)
27 IP, 18 H, 11 K, 6 BB, 1.33 ERA
Stan Coveleski, Indians (1920 vs. Robins)
27 IP, 15 H, 8 K, 2 BB, 0.67 ERA
Lew Burdette, Braves (1957 vs. Braves)
27 IP, 21 H, 13 K, 4 BB, 0.67 ERA
Bob Gibson, Cardinals (1967 vs. Red Sox)
27 IP, 14 H, 26 K, 5 BB, 1.00 ERA
Mickey Lolich, Tigers (1968 vs. Cardinals)
27 IP, 20 H, 21 K, 6 BB, 1.67
Born
Christopher Mathewson was born on August 12, 1880, in Factoryville, PA.
Died
October 7, 1925, Saranac Lake, NY
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Major League Debut
7 17,
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1900
Danny Murphy
Johnny Kling
Jiggs Donahue
Christy Mathewson
Fred Jacklitsch
Tom Hughes
Tommy Sheehan
Dummy Taylor
Togie Pittinger
Nicknames
Big Six,Matty,The Christian Gentleman
"Big Six" was in reference to a very fast train engine of that era.
Similar Players
Pete Alexander
Related Players
Fred Snodgrass, Fred Merkle, Three-Finger Brown, Amos Rusie, John McGraw
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1936 |
BBWAA |
205 |
90.7% |
|
No-Hitter
7/15/1901: For NY (N) vs. CHI (N), 1-0 at STL. 9 innings pitched.
6/13/1905: For NYN (N) vs. CHI (N), 1-0 at CHI. 9 innings pitched.
Post-Season Appearances
1905 World Series
1911 World Series
1912 World Series
1913 World Series
Post-Season Notes
Matty pitched all 9 2/3 innings of the final game of the 1912 World Series, but the Giants lost when Fred Snodgrass's muff on a fly ball enabled the winning run to score in the 10th frame.
Awards and Honors
1905 NL Triple Crown
1908 NL Triple Crown
Milestones
Mathewson won his 300th career game on June 28, 1912, in a 10-3 beating of the Boston Braves. Matty also stoled home during the game.
Milestones
- June 28, 1912: 300th Win...
Pitching Feats
Transactions
December 15, 1900: Traded by the Cincinnati Reds to the New York Giants for Amos Rusie; July 20, 1916: Traded by the New York Giants with Bill McKechnie and Edd Roush to the Cincinnati Reds for Buck Herzog and Red Killefer.
Replaced
Bill Carrick or Pink Hawley, two young right-handers who were in the Giants' rotation in 1900, but not in 1901, when Matty emerged.
Replaced By
Lefty Rube Benton, who was purchased by John McGraw in 1916 from the Cincinnati Reds.
Best Strength as a Player
Mastery of his "fadeaway" pitch, which was what we'd call a screwball today.
Largest Weakness as a Player
None
Learn More about Christy Mathewson
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