Christy Mathewson won 373 games over 17 seasons. Forget about 20-game winning seasons, let’s talk about 30-game winning seasons. Mathewson won 30 or more games four times, including a 37-win season in 1908. Sure the changes in baseball over the last century are far and wide, but still … 37 wins? 390 innings pitched? A 1.43 ERA?
As Madison Bumgarner carved up the Kansas City Royals in the World Series, stories about this century-old pitcher named Mathewson rose to the surface. Baseball scribes across the country compared Bumgarner and Mathewson. Both are remarkable:
- Mathewson pitched in four World Series, compiling 101 2/3 innings and allowing 11 earned runs over 11 games. His career Series ERA: 0.97.
- His modern day counterpart, Bumgarner, has pitched in three World Series. In four starts, Bumgarner has pitched 36 innings, allowing one run. His career Series ERA: 0.25.
Anyone who watched the World Series this year knows Bumgarner, but who is this other guy? Mathewson’s numbers are cartoon-like. There are no videos. All we have is a series of fuzzy black-and-white photos and a collection of statistics. Mathewson hasn’t pitched in almost 100 years making his feats appear almost fictional. But there not; he’s not.
Next month, Bob Gaines’ new book Christy Mathewson, the Christian Gentleman: How One Man’s Faith and Fastball Forever Changed Baseball will hit bookshelves. Gaines refers to Mathewson as “the nation’s first All-American hero, a man of Christianity inspiring the values of millions while bringing dignity to a game.” The author added, Mathewson struggled to find his footing in the unsavory world of professional baseball … [his] shy personality was misinterpreted as an aloof arrogance, Mathewson’s faith and character were put to the test.”
Today, we are joined on the podcast by author Bob Gaines:
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