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65-712: Mathewson is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: Christy Mathewson (1880–1925), baseball player Courtney Mathewson (born 1986), water polo player Elisha Mathewson (1767–1853), US senator George Mathewson (born 1940), Chairman of the Royal Bank of Scotland Henry Mathewson (1886–1917), baseball pitcher Katherine Mathewson , Canadian political candidate Ron Mathewson (1944–2020), jazz musician See also [ edit ] Christy Mathewson–Memorial Stadium Mathewson Farm Matthewson [REDACTED] Surname list This page lists people with

130-520: A .665 winning percentage. His career earned run average of 2.13 and 79 career shutouts are among the best all time for pitchers, and his 373 wins are still number one in the National League, tied with Grover Cleveland Alexander . He employed a good fastball, outstanding control, and, especially a new pitch he termed the "fadeaway" (later known in baseball as the " screwball "), which he learned from teammate Dave Williams in 1898. This reference

195-511: A Pinch, or Pitching from the Inside, which was admired by poet Marianne Moore and is still in print. Years later, Mathewson co-wrote a mildly successful play called The Girl and The Pennant , which was inspired by Helene Hathaway Britton 's ownership of the St. Louis Cardinals . Mathewson went on to pursue more literary endeavors ending in 1917 with a children's book called Second Base Sloan . One of

260-735: A berth in first World Series . Though no World Series was held in 1904, the Giants captured the pennant, prompting McGraw to proclaim them as the best team in the world. Mathewson strove even harder in 1905. After switching to catcher, Roger Bresnahan had begun collaborating with Mathewson, whose advanced memory of hitter weaknesses paved the way for a historic season. Pinpoint control guided Mathewson's pitches to Bresnahan's glove. In 338 innings, Mathewson walked only 64 batters. He shut out opposing teams eight times, pitching entire games in brief 90-minute sessions. Besides winning 31 games, Mathewson recorded an earned run average of 1.28 and 206 strikeouts. He led

325-473: A charm In the form of an extra brain in his arm. — Ogden Nash , Sport magazine (January 1949) Sunday baseball games Because of Christian religious orthodoxy, it was considered offensive to work on Sunday, which was expected to be a day of worship and rest from servile labor. Many governments instituted blue laws to limit activities that could be pursued on a Sunday, including such recreational pursuits as sports and games. In 1794,

390-507: A fee for a baseball game. Philadelphia mayor W. Freeland Kendrick objected to the Athletics' decision and announced that he would use police to keep Shibe Park closed. The Athletics went to court to request that Kendrick's decision be overturned. Judge Frank Smith granted the A's request and ruled on Saturday, August 21, 1926 that those seeking to prohibit Sunday baseball could only do so if "their right to quiet and undisturbed religious worship

455-582: A full slate of games for each Sunday during the season, including Sunday night games televised by ESPN . Minor leagues play regularly on Sunday as well. Churches teaching the doctrine of first-day Sabbatarianism (Sunday Sabbatarianism), such as the Presbyterian Churches and Methodist Churches , traditionally believe that the Lord's Day should be dedicated to worship (through attendance at church services and family prayer), works of mercy (such as visiting

520-399: A lazy popup dropped by Fred Snodgrass in the eighth game (Game 2 was a tie), cost them the championship. The Giants also lost the 1913 World Series , a 101-win season cemented by Mathewson's final brilliant season on the mound: a league-leading 2.06 earned run average in over 300 innings pitched complemented by 0.6 bases on balls per nine innings pitched. For the remainder of his career with

585-627: A lessening in church attendance." Mayor Kendrick said that although the crowd for Sunday's game was "unusually subdued", he thought that any Sunday game was a breach of peace and the law. He also announced that the city of Philadelphia would seek a higher court to overturn Judge Smith's ruling. Connie Mack quickly announced that scheduling difficulties would prevent any more Sunday games in 1926. Even owner John Shibe told fans that "we are not going out of our way to play Sunday games... As there are no open Sundays left we shall probably leave things as they are until next season." The City of Philadelphia took

650-738: A single World Series record three shutouts . He also holds the record for career shutouts in the World Series, with four. 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. Mathewson

715-463: Is challenged by Ken Burns documentary Baseball in which it is stated that Mathewson learned his "fadeaway" from Andrew "Rube" Foster when New York Giants manager John McGraw quietly hired Rube to show the Giants bullpen what he knew. Many baseball historians consider this story apocryphal. Mathewson recorded 2,507 career strikeouts against only 848 walks . He is famous for his 25 pitching duels with Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown , who won 13 of

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780-707: Is different from Wikidata All set index articles Christy Mathewson As manager Christopher Mathewson (August 12, 1880 – October 7, 1925), nicknamed " Big Six ", " the Christian Gentleman ", " Matty ", and " the Gentleman's Hurler ", was an American professional baseball pitcher who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball for the New York Giants . He stood 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) tall and weighed 195 pounds (88 kg). He

845-483: Is encroached upon as a result of the game". Smith's ruling also declared that to prove the game had created "a breach of peace", the game first had to be played, so the earliest legal action that could take place would be on the following Monday. 12,000 spectators attended the game, where the Athletics defeated the White Sox 3–2. During the game, Rev. William B. Forney drove around the park multiple times, and said that he

910-672: The New England League , where he finished with a record of 2–13. The next season, he moved on to play on the Norfolk Phenoms of the Virginia League . He finished that season with a 20–2 record. He continued to attend Bucknell during that time. In July 1900, the New York Giants purchased his contract from Norfolk for $ 1,500 (equivalent to $ 55,000 in 2023). Between July and September 1900, Mathewson appeared in six games for

975-602: The New York Giants and Cincinnati Reds played the first Sunday game ever at the Polo Grounds , New York's home field. It was a benefit game, held during the First World War , to assist dependents of a military regiment. However, after the game both managers, John McGraw and Christy Mathewson , were arrested for violating the blue laws. Judge Francis Xavier McQuade found them not guilty and commended them for their patriotic motives. The following year, Sunday baseball

1040-548: The Pennsylvania Assembly restricted activities on Sunday by passing what they called "an Act for the prevention of vice and immorality, and of unlawful gaming, and to restrain disorderly sports and dissipation". In England, association football was historically banned on Sunday. However, in 1974, The Football Association appealed to the Home Office to allow Sunday football to counter the ban on using floodlights due to

1105-537: The Pittsburgh Pirates and the Washington Senators wore black armbands during the 1925 World Series . Mathewson had died on the day the series began, October 7. According to Baseball , some of Mathewson's last words were to his wife: "Now Jane, I want you to go outside and have yourself a good cry. Don't make it a long one; this can't be helped." ( compiled per IMDb ) M is for Matty, Who carried

1170-608: The Walter Camp All-American football team in 1900. He was a drop-kicker . Mathewson played football at Keystone Academy from 1895 to 1897. He turned pro in 1898, appearing as a fullback with the Greensburg Athletic Association . While a member of the New York Giants, Mathewson played fullback for the Pittsburgh Stars of the first National Football League . However, Mathewson disappeared from

1235-442: The surname Mathewson . If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name (s) to the link. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mathewson&oldid=1126361577 " Categories : Surnames Patronymic surnames Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description

1300-541: The three day week which was granted. Due to the Sunday Observance Act, clubs were banned from charging admission but they exploited a loophole in the law and state that though admission would be free, a purchase of a programme to the equivalent price of a ticket would be required to enter. In Northern Ireland , the Irish Football Association retained a total ban on Sunday football until 2008 when

1365-466: The "11,000-dollar lemon" who turned around to win 26 games, 19 of them consecutively. In the 1912 World Series , the Giants faced the Boston Red Sox, the 1904 American League pennant winners who would have faced the Giants in the World Series that year had one been played. Though Mathewson threw three complete games and maintained an earned run average below 1.00, numerous errors by the Giants, including

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1430-494: The 150th Anniversary of American Independence . The Exposition was running a deficit, so the board of directors voted to open on Sundays and charge an admission fee. A few days later, the Athletics announced that they would play a game on August 22, 1926 against the Chicago White Sox . Officials for the Athletics felt that there was no difference between charging people admission for Exposition amusements on Sunday, and charging

1495-514: The 50-yard line, an offer that McQuaide accepted, which resulted in the football game not being shut down. In 1902, Sunday baseball games were legalized in Chicago , St. Louis , and Cincinnati . In 1907, New York City Democrats introduced two bills in Albany, New York that attempted to legalize Sunday baseball. State Assemblyman Al Smith spoke out against the ban of Sunday baseball, arguing that it

1560-552: The A's continued to play on Sunday, their club corporation franchise would be revoked. After this ruling, Athletics attorney announced that although the Athletics were going to drop their appeal, they did not plan on giving up. In 1931, a bill to liberalize the Blue Sunday Laws was introduced by supporters in the Pennsylvania State Legislature. The bill was passed by the house 106-98, but was soundly defeated by

1625-507: The American and National Leagues, Mathewson and Browns owner Robert Lee Hedges tore up the contract. Hedges later said that ensuring the return of peace to the game was more important, even if it meant effectively giving up a pennant. From 1900 to 1904, Mathewson established himself as a premier pitcher. Posting low earned run averages and winning nearly 100 games, Mathewson helped lead the Giants to their first National League title in 1903, and

1690-528: The Giants, Mathewson began to struggle. Soon, the former champions fell into decline. In 1915, Mathewson's penultimate season in New York, the Giants were the worst team in the National League standings. Mathewson, who had expressed interest in serving as a manager, wound up with a three-year deal to manage the Cincinnati Reds effective July 21, 1916. On July 20, 1916, Mathewson's career came full circle when he

1755-570: The Giants. He started one of those games and compiled a 0–3 record. Displeased with his performance, the Giants returned him to Norfolk and demanded their money back. Later that month, the Cincinnati Reds picked up Mathewson off the Norfolk roster. On December 15, 1900, the Reds quickly traded Mathewson back to the Giants for Amos Rusie . During his 17-year career, Mathewson won 373 games and lost 188 for

1820-530: The National League in all three categories, earning him the Triple Crown . Mathewson's Giants won the 1905 World Series over the Philadelphia Athletics . Mathewson was the starting pitcher in game one, and pitched a four-hit shutout for the victory. Three days later, with the series tied 1–1, he pitched another four-hit shutout. Then, two days later in game five, he threw a six-hit shutout to clinch

1885-633: The State Senate. This caused A's attorney Gartling to announce plans to build a 50,000 seat stadium in Camden, New Jersey and move the team if Sunday restrictions were not eliminated. A public outcry ensued, which caused owner Shibe to quickly say that the plan was only visionary. In 1933, the House and Senate of Pennsylvania finally passed a bill that allowed local jurisdictions to vote on whether Sunday sports would be legalized in their area. When Philadelphia voted on

1950-649: The case to Dauphin County Court, where the court decided the baseball being played on Sunday was unlawful "worldly employment". The Athletics then announced that they would take their case to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, who ruled in September 1927, by a vote of 7 to 2, the Sunday Baseball was both "unholy" and "worldly employment". The Pennsylvania Supreme Court also threatened the Athletics, saying that if

2015-436: The duels against Mathewson's 11, with one no-decision. Mathewson was a very good-hitting pitcher in his major league career, posting a .215 batting average (362-for-1687) with 151 runs , seven home runs , and 167 runs batted in . In 10 of his 17 years in the majors, he was in double figures in runs batted in, with a season-high of 20 in 1903. He batted .281 (9-for-32) in 11 World Series games. By 1903, Mathewson's stature

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2080-502: The family lived in a duplex on the Upper West Side , at Columbus and 85th , alongside Mathewson's manager John McGraw and his wife Blanche. Mathewson and McGraw remained friends for the rest of their lives. In the 1909 offseason, Christy Mathewson's younger brother Nicholas Mathewson died by suicide in a neighbor's barn. Another brother, Henry Mathewson , pitched briefly for the Giants before dying of tuberculosis in 1917. Mathewson

2145-461: The journalists to unmask the 1919 Black Sox , Hugh Fullerton , consulted Mathewson for information about baseball gambling. Fullerton trusted Mathewson for his writing intellect, as well as his unbiased standpoint. As a player and manager, Mathewson also had several seasons of experience playing alongside Hal Chase , a veteran major league player widely rumored to have been involved in several gambling incidents and attempts to fix games. Representing

2210-537: The league average of 2.62. His 1.271 walks plus hits per innings pitched , quite uncharacteristic of him, was due to an increased number of hits and walks. By 1908, Mathewson was back on top as the league's elite pitcher. Winning the most games of his career, 37, coupled with a 1.43 earned run average and 259 strikeouts, he claimed a second triple crown. He also led the league in starts, innings pitched, complete games, and shutouts, and held hitters to an exceptionally low 0.827 walks plus hits per innings pitched. He even led

2275-457: The league in saves, racking up 5 of them in 12 relief appearances. Unfortunately, the Giants were unable to take home the pennant due to what was ultimately known as Merkle's Boner , an incident that cost the Giants a crucial game against the Chicago Cubs, who eventually defeated the Giants in the standings by one game. Mathewson returned for an outstanding 1909 season; though not as dominant as

2340-419: The minor leagues in 1899, recording a record of 21 wins and two losses. He pitched for the 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 the franchise's first World Series championship in 1905 by pitching

2405-519: The more religious New York fans and earned him the nickname "The Christian Gentleman". However, the impact of this practice on the Giants was minimized, since, in the eight-team National League, only the Chicago Cubs ( Illinois ), Cincinnati Reds ( Ohio ), and St. Louis Cardinals ( Missouri ) played home games in states that allowed professional sports on Sunday. In his free time, Mathewson enjoyed nature walks, reading, golf, and checkers, of which he

2470-413: The nickname, "Home Run". Mathewson, the team's "star pitcher", signed a three-year contract with the Giants in late 1910, for the upcoming 1911, 1912 and 1913 seasons, the first time he had signed a contract over a year in length. In 1912, Mathewson gave another stellar performance. Capturing the pennant, the Giants were fueled by the stolen-base game and a superior pitching staff capped by Rube Marquard,

2535-568: The only former ballplayer among the group of investigating journalists, Mathewson played a small role in Fullerton's exposure of the 1919 World Series scandal. Late in the 1918 season, Mathewson enlisted in the United States Army during World War I. His wife Jane was very much opposed to the decision, but Mathewson insisted on going. He served overseas as a captain in the newly formed Chemical Service along with Ty Cobb . When he arrived in France, he

2600-629: The presidency to Fuchs after the season. After contracting tuberculosis, Mathewson moved to the frigid climate of Saranac Lake, New York , in the Adirondack Mountains , where he sought treatment from Edward Livingston Trudeau at his renowned Adirondack Cottage Sanitarium . He died in Saranac Lake of tuberculosis on October 7, 1925. Mathewson is buried at Lewisburg Cemetery in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania , adjacent to Bucknell University . Members of

2665-523: The previous year, he posted a better earned run average (1.14), and a record of 25–6. He repeated a strong performance in 1910 and then again in 1911, when the Giants captured their first pennant since 1905. The Giants ultimately lost the 1911 World Series to the Philadelphia Athletics, the same team they had defeated for the 1905 championship. Mathewson and Rube Marquard allowed two game-winning home runs to Hall of Famer Frank Baker , earning him

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2730-486: The proposal, they easily won the right to play sports on Sunday. However, the A's had already sold many of their star players (including Al Simmons , Mickey Cochrane , and Lefty Grove ) to pay for team finances, and in 1954 the A's moved to Kansas City, Missouri . The bill also didn't help the Philadelphia Phillies , who were struggling financially, until the team was bought by owner R. R. M. Carpenter, Jr. , who

2795-417: The rules were relaxed to allow them only if both teams agreed and that no player could be punished for refusing to play on Sunday. Further relaxations allowed for Sunday matches if Northern Irish clubs had European matches during the week and to avoid matches clashing with major national events. Lobbying efforts by baseball team owner Connie Mack influenced Pennsylvania governor Gifford Pinchot to modify

2860-412: The series for the Giants. In a span of only six days, Mathewson had pitched three complete games without allowing a run, while giving up only 14 hits. The next year, Mathewson lost much of his edge, owing to an early-season diagnosis of diphtheria . McGraw pulled over 260 innings from him, but these were plagued with struggle. Though he maintained a 22–12 record, his 2.97 earned run average was well above

2925-517: The sick), as well as rest from servile labour. They believe that viewing and participating in sporting events held on Sundays are in violation of the Ten Commandments dictum to " Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy ". As such, many Christian sports leagues do not hold games on Sundays. Certain Christian denominations oppose professional sports as a whole, believing that the industry

2990-417: The state's blue law on 25 April 1933 "so that local jurisdictions could choose whether to allow baseball or football games to be played on Sunday." In Pittsburgh , Steelers football team founder Art Rooney faced opposition as the city's blue laws prevented him from holding football games on Sundays. Realizing that a large amount of the city's residents who supported blue laws were planning to protest

3055-549: The team in the middle of the team's 1902 season . Some historians speculate that the Giants got word that their star pitcher was risking his baseball career for the Stars and ordered him to stop, while others feel that the Stars' coach, Willis Richardson , got rid of Mathewson because he felt that, since the fullback's punting skills were hardly used, he could replace him with a local player, Shirley Ellis. In 1899, Mathewson signed to play professional baseball with Taunton Herrings of

3120-515: The team would make $ 20,000 for each Sunday game that they played in Philadelphia. Mack thought that, for the team, it was financially necessary to play on Sundays, explaining that "we [the Athletics] cannot meet our payrolls playing on seventy-seven weekdays at home". Many Pennsylvania politicians and religious groups opposed Shibe and Mack's effort for Sunday baseball, claiming that playing on that day

3185-544: The tuberculosis, initially at the Trudeau Sanitorium , and later in a house that he had built. In 1923, Mathewson returned to professional baseball when Giants attorney Emil Fuchs and he put together a syndicate that bought the Boston Braves . Although initial plans called for Mathewson to be principal owner and team president, his health had deteriorated so much that he could perform only nominal duties. He turned over

3250-595: The upcoming Pittsburgh Pirates vs. New York Giants baseball game, Rooney "hurried down to city hall to get some answers", where the Director of Public Safety, Harmar Denny, informed him that only two people held the authority to stop the sporting event from happening, one being himself and the other being Franklin McQuaide , the superintendent of police. Denny said that he would be out of town on that Sunday. As such, Rooney stopped at McQuaide's office and invited him to sit at

3315-518: Was "ashamed that such an exhibition could be held on the Sabbath", and called the cheers from the crowd a "disgusting noise". Athletics manager Connie Mack was glad that baseball was played on Sunday, and was quoted as saying "I am glad that we won, of course, but I am more than glad that nothing happened that could be construed as a breach of the peace… I wish all those who oppose Sunday baseball could have been here today. They would see that we are not causing

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3380-461: Was a "breach of peace" and that the games would be "a disturbance to persons in that neighborhood desirous of preserving the peace and quiet of Sunday so that they may in such peace and quiet pursue their religious worship and meditation". Unfortunately for the Athletics, Philadelphia's other baseball team, the Phillies , took no public position on the subject, undermining the Athletics' case. In 1917,

3445-415: Was a renowned champion player. The combination of athletic skill and intellectual hobbies made him a favorite for many fans, even those opposed to the Giants. Sportswriters praised him, and in his prime every game he started began with deafening cheers. Sometimes, the distraction prompted him to walk out 10 minutes after his fielders took the field. Mathewson soon became the unspoken captain of the Giants. He

3510-602: Was a win for Mathewson's Reds over Brown's Cubs, 10–8. Mathewson retired as a player after the season and managed the Reds for the entire 1917 season and the first 118 games of 1918, compiling a total record of 164–176 as a manager. Mathewson married Jane Stoughton (1880–1967) in 1903. Their only son, Christopher Jr., was born shortly after. Christy Mathewson Jr. served in World War II, and died in an explosion at his home in Texas on August 16, 1950. During Mathewson's playing years,

3575-427: Was able to fix the Phillies' financial situation. Once the last of the blue laws preventing Sunday baseball were gone, most teams scheduled Sunday games regularly. In the 1950s and 1960s, most teams frequently scheduled doubleheaders on Sunday to maximize attendance. Although rising attendance has led to the elimination of regularly scheduled doubleheaders (with rare exceptions), Major League Baseball still schedules

3640-505: Was accidentally gassed during a chemical training exercise and subsequently developed tuberculosis , which more easily infects lungs that have been damaged by chemical gases. Mathewson served with the American Expeditionary Forces until February 1919 and was discharged later that month. Although he returned to serve as a coach for the Giants from 1919 to 1921, he spent a good portion of that time in Saranac Lake fighting

3705-528: 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 . 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

3770-468: Was better for young men to be playing baseball than to "be driven to places where they play Waltz Me Around Again, Willie ." However, both bills were unsuccessful. In 1911, Philadelphia Athletics manager Connie Mack expressed a desire for the Athletics to play on Sunday. The main driving force behind his interest in playing on Sunday was to earn money. The Athletics were not a wealthy baseball club, and Athletics vice-president John Shibe estimated that

3835-411: Was born in Factoryville, Pennsylvania on August 12, 1880, and attended high school at Keystone Academy . He attended college at Bucknell University , where he served as class president and played on the school's football , basketball , and baseball teams. Mathewson was also a member of the fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta . His first experience of semi-professional baseball came in 1895, when he

3900-495: Was highly regarded in the baseball world during his lifetime. As he was a clean-cut, intellectual collegiate, his rise to fame brought a better name to the typical ballplayer, who usually spent his time gambling, boozing, or womanizing. As noted in The National League Story (1961) by Lee Allen , Mathewson was a devout Christian and never pitched on Sunday, a promise he made to his mother that brought him popularity among

3965-572: Was just 14 years old. The manager of the Factoryville ball club asked Mathewson to pitch in a game with a rival team in Mill City, Pennsylvania. Mathewson helped his hometown team to a 19–17 victory, but with his batting rather than his pitching. He continued to play baseball during his years at Bucknell, pitching for minor league teams in Honesdale and Meridian , Pennsylvania. Mathewson was selected to

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4030-640: Was legalized in Cleveland , Washington, D.C., and Detroit . One year after that, New York legalized baseball games on Sunday, and baseball teams that played in New York (the New York Giants , the New York Yankees , and the Brooklyn Dodgers ) were allowed to have home games on Sunday. In 1926, the Philadelphia Athletics were selected to host the Sesquicentennial Exposition to celebrate

4095-507: Was such that when he briefly signed a contract with the St. Louis Browns of the American League, he was thought to be the spark the Browns needed to win the pennant. The Browns had finished a strong second in 1902, five games behind the Philadelphia Athletics . They offered him four times what he was making with the Giants. However, as part of the settlement that ended the two-year war between

4160-422: Was the only player to whom John McGraw ever gave full discretion. McGraw told many younger players to watch and listen to his wisdom. Mathewson garnered respect throughout the baseball world as a pitcher of great sportsmanship. He was often asked to write columns concerning upcoming games. In 1912, with the editing and ghostwriting aid of sportswriter John Wheeler, Mathewson published his classic memoir Pitching in

4225-411: Was traded to the Cincinnati Reds along with Edd Roush . He was immediately named as the Reds' player-manager . However, for all intents and purposes, his playing career was over. He appeared in only one game as a pitcher for the Reds, on September 4, 1916. He faced Brown in the second half of a doubleheader, which was billed as the final meeting between the two old baseball warriors. The high-scoring game

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