Christy Mathewson
(1900-1916)
He was one of the original players inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, along with Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Ty Cobb, and Walter Johnson in 1936. In an era of hard-drinking, hard-living players, Mathewson was a clean-cut college boy from Bucknell, where his fellow students elected him class president. He sang in the glee club, was a member of a literary club, and even wrote a series of children’s books.
But on the mound he was a fierce competitor, winning 20 or more games in 13 different seasons, and posting a career earned run average of only 2.13 to lead his New York Giants to four pennants. He holds the NL mark for career victories and posted a record four shutouts in World Series play.
Mathewson enlisted in 1918 during World War I. Tragically, he was accidentally gassed and developed tuberculosis, a disease that claimed his life in 1925.
Tom Seaver
(1967-1986)
“Blind men come to the park, just to hear him pitch.”– Pete Rose
In 1967, Tom Seaver joined the worst team in baseball, the New York Mets. He won the Rookie of the Year and began a career as the greatest player in Mets history. Known as “The Franchise,” Seaver was the ace of the pitching staff, winning three Cy Youngs and leading his “Miracle Mets” to a World Series title in 1969.
He was only the fifth pitcher to record 3,000 strikeouts and won his 300th
game in 1985, finishing his career with 311, a mark that surely would have
been higher had he played for better teams. He was elected to the Baseball
Hall of Fame in 1992, receiving the highest percentage of votes of all time.
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