Christy Mathewson

Christy Mathewson
Mathewson in 1910
Pitcher
Born: (1880-08-12)August 12, 1880 Factoryville, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died: October 7, 1925(1925-10-07) (aged 45) Saranac Lake, New York, U.S.
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
July 17, 1900, for the New York Giants
Last MLB appearance
September 4, 1916, for the Cincinnati Reds
MLB statistics
Win–loss record	373–188
Earned run average	2.13
Strikeouts	2,502
Managerial record	164–176
Winning %	.482
Teams
As player New York Giants (1900–1916) Cincinnati Reds (1916) As manager Cincinnati Reds (1916–1918)
Career highlights and awards
2× World Series champion (1905, 1921) 2× Triple Crown (1905, 1908) 4× NL wins leader (1905, 1907, 1908, 1910) 5× NL ERA leader (1905, 1908, 1909, 1911, 1913) 5× NL strikeout leader (1903–1905, 1907, 1908) Pitched two no-hitters Name honored by the Giants Major League Baseball All-Century Team
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction	1936
Vote	90.7% (first ballot)
Football career Career information Position(s) Fullback College Bucknell High school Keystone Academy Career history As player 1898 Greensburg A. A. 1902 Pittsburgh Stars Career highlights and awards Pittsburgh Stars 1902 Championship team Military career Allegiance United States Service/branch U.S. Army Years of service 1918–1919 Rank Captain Unit Chemical Warfare Service 1st Gas Regiment Battles/wars World War I Western Front  (DOW)

Christopher Mathewson (August 12, 1880 – October 7, 1925), nicknamed "Big Six", "the Christian Gentleman", "Matty", and "the Gentleman's Hurler", was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher, who played 17 seasons with the New York Giants. He stood 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) tall and weighed 195 pounds (88 kg). He was among the most dominant pitchers in baseball history, and ranks in the all-time top 10 in several key pitching categories, including wins, shutouts, and earned run average.^[1] In 1936, Mathewson was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame as one of its first five members.

Mathewson grew up in Factoryville, Pennsylvania, and began playing semiprofessional baseball when he was 14 years old. He played in the minor leagues in 1899, recording a record of 21 wins and two losses. He pitched for the New York Giants the next season, but was sent back to the minors. He eventually returned to the Giants and went on to win a National League record 373 career games, tying Grover Cleveland Alexander for the third most career wins of all time. He led the Giants to their first World Series championship in franchise history in the 1905 World Series by pitching a single World Series record three shutouts.^[2] He also holds the record for career shutouts in the World Series, with four.^[3] Mathewson never pitched on Sundays, owing to his Christian beliefs. Mathewson served in the United States Army's Chemical Warfare Service in World War I, and was accidentally exposed to chemical weapons during training. His respiratory system was weakened from the exposure, causing him to contract tuberculosis, from which he died in Saranac Lake, New York, in 1925.