Christy Mathewson

Baseball Legends series. Intelligent, fiercely competitive, and an expert at throwing tough pitches with pinpoint control, Christy Mathewson may well have been the finest hurler of all time. He led the New York Giants to 5 National League pennants, twirled his way to 373 wins—83 of them shutouts—and won 20 games or more 13 times, a record unequaled in NL history.

Born in Factoryville, Pennsylvania, in 1880, Mathewson dreamed of being a big-league star ever since he was eight. He received his chance in 1900, after graduating from Bucknell College and signing with the Giants. An all-American boy with movie-star looks, he immediately became a hometown favorite by baffling hitters with the pitch he introduced to the major leagues: a fadeaway, or screwball.

Mathewson's control on the mound was matched by his self-control as a person. In the words of one teammate, "He looked like he meant we toward the whole world." Mathewson was so honest that umpires asked his help in making difficult calls, and to honor his mother's strong religious beliefs he never played a game on Sunday throughout his 17-year career. Displaying these gentlemanly manners while posting the all-time highest winning percentage in NL history earned him the love and admiration of the entire nation.

In 1936, Christy Mathewson was among the first group of players to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.