Christy Mathewson
MLB debut July 17, 1900 for the New York Giants Last MLB appearance September 4, 1916 for the Cincinnati Reds Career statistics Win-loss record 373–188 Earned run average 2.13 Strikeouts 2,502 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 champion (1905, 1907, 1908, 1910) 5× NL ERA champion (1905, 1908, 1909, 1911, 1913) 5× NL strikeout champion (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) Christy Mathewson Career information Position(s): Fullback College: Bucknell High school: Keystone Academy Organizations As player: 1898 1902 Greensburg A. A. Pittsburgh Stars Career highlights and awards Pittsburgh Stars 1902 Championship team Military career Allegiance United States Service/branch U.S. Army Years of service 1917–1918 Rank Captain Unit Chemical Warfare Service 1st Gas Regiment Battles/wars World War I Western Front Christopher "Christy" Mathewson (August 12, 1880 – October 7, 1925), nicknamed "Big Six", "The Christian Gentleman", "Matty", or "The Gentleman's Hurler" was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher who played 17 seasons with the New York Giants. He was among the most dominant pitchers of his (or any) era and ranks in the all-time top-10 in major pitching categories including wins, shutouts, and ERA. In fact, he is the only pitcher in MLB history to rank in the top ten both in career wins and in career ERA. In 1936, Mathewson was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame as one of its "first five" inaugural 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 with a pitching record of 21 wins and two losses. He then started an unsuccessful tenure with the New York Giants the next season but was sent back to the minors. Mathewson would eventually return to the Giants and go on to win 373 games in his career, a National League record. In the 1905 World Series, he pitched three shutouts, leading to a Giants victory. Mathewson never pitched on Sundays owing to his Christian beliefs, contributing to his nickname. The pitcher also played professional football for the Pittsburgh Stars for a short period of time before quitting. 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 weakened from the exposure, he contracted tuberculosis and subsequently died of the disease in Saranac Lake, New York in 1925.