Christy Mathewson (1936)


Date of Birth: 8/12/1880
Date of Death: 10/7/1925
Birthplace: Factoryville, Pennsylvania
College: Bucknell University

Christy Mathewson started playing semi-pro baseball at the age of 14 and, by the time he was at Bucknell University, he was a minor league pitcher. He left the university in 1899 to play professional baseball full-time in the minor leagues with a team in the New England League. A year later, he was playing in the Virginia League. His contract was purchased by the New York Giants in July, 1900.

New York Giants

Mathewson started his 16 year career with the Giants in 1900. In his first season, he pitched in only 6 games before the Giants sent him back to the minor leagues. At that point, the Cincinnati Reds bought his contract, but they traded him back to the Giants after just a short time.

In 1901, his first full season in the major leagues, Mathewson pitched 336.0 innings in 40 games and he ended the season with a 20-17 record, 221 strikeouts to 97 walks, and an ERA of 2.41. He played well also defensively, leading all NL pitchers in assists with 108.

Mathewson had another good season in 1902, finishing with a 2.11 ERA in 34 games. He had 14 wins and 17 losses and 159 strikeouts to 73 walks in 276.2 innings. In 1903, he led the NL in strikeouts with a career high 267 to 100 walks. He finished the season with 30 wins and 13 losses and a 2.26 ERA in 366.1 innings.

Mathewson again led the NL in strikeouts in 1904. He pitched a career high 367.2 innings and he had 33 wins and 12 losses, 212 strikeouts to 78 walks, and a 2.03 ERA in 48 games.

In 1905, Mathewson won his first National League Triple Crown, leading the league in wins, strikeouts, and ERA. That season he had a 31-9 record, 206 strikeouts to 64 walks, and a 1.28 ERA in 338.2 innings in 43 games. He also led all NL pitchers in assists with 116.

Mathewson had a poorer season in 1906, finishing with a 2.97 ERA, 22 wins to 12 losses, and 128 strikeouts to 77 walks in 266.2 innings in 38 games. But he came back strong in 1907, again leading the NL in wins and strikeouts. He finished that season with 24 wins and 12 losses, 178 strikeouts to 53 walks, and a 2.00 ERA in 315.0 innings in 41 games.

In 1908, Mathewson won his second National League Triple Crown with a career high 37 wins (to 11 losses), 259 strikeouts (to 42 walks), and an ERA of 1.43. He also led the league in innings pitched (390.2) and complete games pitched (34). He pitched in a total of 56 games, a career high for him. Once again he led all NL pitchers in assists with 141.

Mathewson led the NL in ERA in 1909. He finished the season with 25 wins and 6 losses, 149 strikeouts to 36 walks, and a career low ERA of 1.14 in 275.1 innings in 37 games. In 1910, he led the NL for the fourth time in wins, ending his season with 27 wins to 9 losses. He also led the NL in complete games with 27. He finished the season with a 1.89 ERA in 318.1 innings in 38 games.

Mathewson led the National League two more times in ERA - in 1911, he had an ERA of 1.99 and in 1913, his ERA was 2.06. In 1911, he also led all NL pitchers in assists with 107 and in putouts with 31.

In 1914, Mathewson had an ERA of 3.00. He finished the season with 24 wins and 13 losses in 312.0 innings in 41 games. He struggled in 1915, finishing with an ERA of 3.58 in 27 games. He had just 8 wins and 14 losses that year.

Cincinnati Reds

The Giants traded Mathewson to the Cincinnati Reds in 1916, and he served as their manager for the next three seasons. His record as manager of the Reds was 164 wins to 176 losses. He pitched in only one game with them in 1916.

Awards and MLB Records

  • NL Triple Crown (2 times)
  • Led the NL in ERA (5 times)
  • Led the NL in wins (4 times)
  • Led the NL in strikeouts (5 times)
  • Led the NL in complete games (2 times)
  • Led NL pitchers in assists (5 times)

Career Statistics

Statistics for Mathewson in 17 seasons (1900-1916) in the major leagues include:

  • 13 seasons of 20 or more wins, with a high of 37 wins in 1908
  • 8 seasons with over 150 strikeouts, with a high of 267 in 1903
  • 13 seasons with an ERA under 3.00, with a low of 1.14 in 1909

Career pitching statistics for Mathewson include:

  • 635 games played
  • 4,780.2 innings pitched
  • 373-188 win-loss record
  • 2,502 strikeouts to 844 walks
  • 2.13 ERA

Career fielding statistics for Mathewson include:

  • 636 games played
  • 1,503 assists
  • 281 putouts
  • .971 fielding percentage

Postseason statistics for Mathewson include:

  • 4 postseasons
  • 11 games played
  • 101.0 innings pitched
  • 5-5 win-loss record
  • 48 strikeouts to 10 walks
  • 1.07 ERA

Post Playing Career

After finishing his major league baseball career, Mathewson served in WW I. He returned to baseball in 1919 to become a coach for the Giants. He stayed in that position for two years.

In 1923, Mathewson became the part-time president of the Boston Braves.

Mathewson was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1936 on the first ballot with 90.7% of the vote.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Christy Mathewson
ESPN - Christy Mathewson
Baseball Reference - Christy Mathewson

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