Bobby Mathews
Encyclopedia
Robert T. Mathews was an American
right-handed Major League Baseball
pitcher
for twenty years beginning in the late 1860s. He is credited as being one of the inventors of the spitball
pitch, which was rediscovered or reintroduced to the major leagues after he died. He is also credited with the first legal pitch which broke
away from the batter. He is listed at 5 feet 5 inches tall and 140 pounds, which is small for a pro athlete even in his time, when the average height of an American male in the mid-19th Century was 5 feet 7 & 1/4 inches tall.
Mathews was born in 1851, in Baltimore, Maryland, and he played as a teenager with the Maryland club of that city, and he made the team a dangerous one. For the 1871 season, he and some other Maryland players signed with the Fort Wayne Kekiongas
. On May 4, 1871 in Fort Wayne, Indiana
, he pitched a shutout
in the inaugural game of the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players
(NA), the first professional league. Mathews umpired a few games between 1871 and 1888 and signed with the regular staff of the Players League
in 1890, returning to the AA in 1891.
Over his 16-year career, he had 297 wins
, 248 losses, 525 complete game
s, with a career earned run average
of 2.89. He had 1366 strikeout
s compared with 533 walks. He won 20 games 8 times, including 42 in 1874 with the New York Mutuals
of the National Association
, and is the only player to win 50 games or to pitch 100 games in each of three major leagues. He is the 24th winningest pitcher
in baseball.
He died 1898 in Baltimore, at the age of 46, of paresis
caused by syphilis
, and is interred at New Cathedral Cemetery, also in Baltimore.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
right-handed Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
for twenty years beginning in the late 1860s. He is credited as being one of the inventors of the spitball
Spitball
A spitball is an illegal baseball pitch in which the ball has been altered by the application of saliva, petroleum jelly, or some other foreign substance....
pitch, which was rediscovered or reintroduced to the major leagues after he died. He is also credited with the first legal pitch which broke
Breaking ball
In baseball, a breaking ball is a pitch that does not travel straight like a fastball as it approaches the batter. A pitcher who uses primarily breaking ball pitches is often referred to as a junkballer. A breaking ball will have some sideways or downward motion on it...
away from the batter. He is listed at 5 feet 5 inches tall and 140 pounds, which is small for a pro athlete even in his time, when the average height of an American male in the mid-19th Century was 5 feet 7 & 1/4 inches tall.
Mathews was born in 1851, in Baltimore, Maryland, and he played as a teenager with the Maryland club of that city, and he made the team a dangerous one. For the 1871 season, he and some other Maryland players signed with the Fort Wayne Kekiongas
Fort Wayne Kekiongas
The Fort Wayne Kekiongas were a professional baseball team, notable for winning the first professional league game on May 4, 1871. Kekionga - pronounced KEY-key-awn-guh - is the name of Chief Little Turtle's Miami Indian settlement where the St. Joseph River and the St. Mary's River join to form...
. On May 4, 1871 in Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
, he pitched a shutout
Shutout
In team sports, a shutout refers to a game in which one team prevents the opposing team from scoring. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball....
in the inaugural game of the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players
National Association of Professional Base Ball Players
The National Association of Professional Base Ball Players , or simply the National Association , was founded in 1871 and continued through the 1875 season...
(NA), the first professional league. Mathews umpired a few games between 1871 and 1888 and signed with the regular staff of the Players League
Players League
The Players' National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs, popularly known as the Players' League , was a short-lived but star-studded professional American baseball league of the 19th century...
in 1890, returning to the AA in 1891.
Over his 16-year career, he had 297 wins
Win (baseball)
In professional baseball, there are two types of decisions: a win and a loss . In each game, one pitcher on the winning team is awarded a win and one pitcher on the losing team is given a loss in their respective statistics. These pitchers are collectively known as the pitchers of record. Only...
, 248 losses, 525 complete game
Complete game
In baseball, a complete game is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher.As demonstrated by the charts below, in the early 20th century, it was common for most good Major League Baseball pitchers to pitch a complete game almost every start. Pitchers were...
s, with a career earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
of 2.89. He had 1366 strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s compared with 533 walks. He won 20 games 8 times, including 42 in 1874 with the New York Mutuals
New York Mutuals
The Mutual Base Ball Club of New York was a leading American baseball club almost throughout its 20-year history. It was established during 1857, the year of the first baseball convention, just too late to be a founding member of the National Association of Base Ball Players. It was a charter...
of the National Association
National Association of Professional Base Ball Players
The National Association of Professional Base Ball Players , or simply the National Association , was founded in 1871 and continued through the 1875 season...
, and is the only player to win 50 games or to pitch 100 games in each of three major leagues. He is the 24th winningest pitcher
Top 100 winning pitchers of all time
This is a list of the top 500 Major League Baseball winningest pitchers. In the sport of baseball, a win is a statistic credited to the pitcher for the winning team who was in the game when his team last took the lead...
in baseball.
He died 1898 in Baltimore, at the age of 46, of paresis
Paresis
Paresis is a condition typified by partial loss of voluntary movement or by impaired movement. When used without qualifiers, it usually refers to the limbs, but it also can be used to describe the muscles of the eyes , the stomach , and also the vocal cords...
caused by syphilis
Syphilis
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact; however, it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis...
, and is interred at New Cathedral Cemetery, also in Baltimore.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
- List of Major League Baseball ERA champions
- List of Major League Baseball saves champions