Christy Mathewson

Who was Christy Mathewson?

Christopher "Christy" Mathewson, nicknamed "Big Six", "The Christian Gentleman", or "Matty", was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He was among the most dominant pitchers of his era and ranks in the all-time top-10 in major pitching categories including wins, shutouts, and 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 20 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 World War I and died in Saranac Lake, New York of tuberculosis in 1925.