Since Walter Johnson and Christy Mathewson were overlapping contemporaries, did they ever meet on the field? What were the results?
Richard K.
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This isn't related to HS baseball. Many sites on the web cover baseball history. I do know that matchups between great pitchers are surprisingly rare.
I couldn't find anything about Johnson and Christy Mathewson ever facing. I was curious too.
I couldn't find anything about Johnson and Christy Mathewson ever facing. I was curious too.
Interesting observation BB.
I am aware of a HS named after WJ, yet not so for CM.
However overlapping you think these two HoF's career were, Matty's career all spanned in the NL with the NYG 1900-1915 -CIN 1916, while Big Train's career spanned all in the AL with WSH from 1907-1927.
Both debut in the ML at age 19.
Matty's had two 'pitching Triple Crown' years in
1905 & 1908, both in the NL.
Big Train had three 'pitching Triple Crown' years in
1913, 1918 & 1924, all in the AL.
Yet, I would say Cooperstown in 1936, where the first of five players inducted into the Hall (Johnson along with Cobb, Ruth & Wagner & and as stated below posthumously, Mathewson would be best remembered. Why Cy Young was not inducted on first ballot remains a mystery.)
If you want to have an insider's view of how the world of baseball was in the early part of the century, Mathewsons book on pitching, "Pitching in a Pinch" is a highly entertaining and educational in that not much has changed since CM once ruled the roost on the pitching mound. Yet CM writes nothing about a match up with the Big Train.
Bear
I am aware of a HS named after WJ, yet not so for CM.
However overlapping you think these two HoF's career were, Matty's career all spanned in the NL with the NYG 1900-1915 -CIN 1916, while Big Train's career spanned all in the AL with WSH from 1907-1927.
Both debut in the ML at age 19.
Matty's had two 'pitching Triple Crown' years in
1905 & 1908, both in the NL.
Big Train had three 'pitching Triple Crown' years in
1913, 1918 & 1924, all in the AL.
Yet, I would say Cooperstown in 1936, where the first of five players inducted into the Hall (Johnson along with Cobb, Ruth & Wagner & and as stated below posthumously, Mathewson would be best remembered. Why Cy Young was not inducted on first ballot remains a mystery.)
If you want to have an insider's view of how the world of baseball was in the early part of the century, Mathewsons book on pitching, "Pitching in a Pinch" is a highly entertaining and educational in that not much has changed since CM once ruled the roost on the pitching mound. Yet CM writes nothing about a match up with the Big Train.
Bear
Christy Mathewson died at age 45 in 1925 from TB and effects of being accidentally gassed during his WWI service. He was inducted posthumously with the HOF's first group in 1936.
quote:Why Cy Young was not inducted on first ballot remains a mystery.)
Heck, he never won a Cy Young award
