The Man Who Tied Christy Mathewson

Young "Pete"

One hundred years ago, a tall lanky right-hander from Elba, Nebraska, made his debut with the Philadelphia Phillies and cut a swath through Major League Baseball like no other rookie pitcher had before or since. His name was Grover Cleveland Alexander but he would go by his boyhood nickname, “Pete.” Pete won 28 games in 1911, a rookie record that stands to this day, and struck out 227, another rookie record that would stand until 1984 when Dwight Gooden broke it.

In 1915, ‘16, and ‘17, Pete won 31, 33, and 30 games respectively, taking the Phillies to their first World Series in 1915. They lost to the Boston Red Sox who were led by Hall of Fame outfielder Tris Speaker and another young pitcher by the name of Babe Ruth. In 1915, ‘16, and ’20, Alexander won the coveted triple crown of pitching, leading the league in wins, earned run average (ERA), and strikeouts. In 1916, he set a major league record that many believe will never be broken with an amazing 16 shutouts.

With his phenomenal success, it was only natural that Pete would be compared to the elite pitchers of his day. The one that he was most often compared to was the great Christy Mathewson and he would be haunted by this comparison for the rest of his life.


Christy Mathewson

Mathewson joined the New York Giants in 1900. With a good fastball, pinpoint control, and a pitch he called the "fadeaway,” he was already a legend by 1911. His best year came in 1908 when he set the National League record with 37 wins and led pitchers with a 1.43 ERA.

On the field, Alexander was favorably compared to Matty; off the field it was no contest. In a time when baseball players were known as hard drinking, tobacco-chewing brawlers, Pete was the norm. In contrast, the clean-cut, blond-haired, blue-eyed Mathewson was the epitome of the gentleman athlete.

At Bucknell University, Christy had been a top-flight student, serving as class president and joining the band, glee club, and two literary societies. Later, as the toast of New York, he was highly sought after for his endorsements. He once received an offer to put his name on a pool hall/saloon but turned it down when his mother asked, "Do you really want your name associated with a place like that?" If all that was not enough, he wrote a series of children’s books known as “The Matty Books.” Legendary sportswriter Grantland Rice wrote:

Christy Mathewson brought something to baseball no one else had ever given the game. He handed the game a certain touch of class, an indefinable lift in culture, brains, and personality.

In 1916, Mathewson was traded to the Cincinnati Reds, where he finished his career as a player-manager. After 17 seasons, he had amassed 372 victories and a 2.13 ERA. Accepting a commission as a captain in the Army's Chemical Warfare Division, Christy left for France in 1918. While in France, he came down with a serious case of influenza and then was exposed to mustard gas during a training exercise. Three years later, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis and died in 1925 at a sanitarium in Saranac Lake, New York. He was only 45.


Mathewson WWI

Alexander was also greatly affected by World War I. Like Mathewson he was sent to France in 1918, and when a shell exploded nearby he lost all hearing in one ear. While recovering, he was diagnosed with epilepsy and what we call today combat stress syndrome.

Alexander had always been a heavy drinker but by the mid-20’s, alcohol and his numerous physical problems began to take its toll on his pitching. In June of 1926, the Cubs placed their slumping 39-year-old pitcher on waivers and the St Louis Cardinals claimed him for $6,000 (about $73,000 today). In a revival of sorts, the washed-up veteran won nine games and helped the Cards to the National League pennant. His performance in the World Series against the New York Yankees, however, would provide the stuff of legends.

The 1926 Yankees were essentially the same team as the 1927 Yankees, a team that won 110 games and swept the Pittsburgh Pirates in the World Series. Many consider the ’27 Yankees the greatest baseball team ever and their lineup including Ruth and Gehrig gave new meaning to the term “Murderers Row.”


Alexander 1926

After winning games two and six, Alexander, thinking his work done, celebrated. The next day, leading 3-2 in game seven, the Cardinals found themselves in a jam. Leading off the bottom of the seventh, Yankee centerfielder Earle Combs singled to left and shortstop Mark Koenig sacrificed him to second. Cardinal starting pitcher Jesse Haines wisely issued a free pass to Ruth and left fielder Bob Meusel grounded out, forcing Ruth at second. Pitching ever so carefully, Haines loaded the bases with a walk to Lou Gehrig.

Knowing that Alexander had pitched a complete game the day before and spent the night drinking, player-manager Roger Hornsby was faced with a difficult decision. Pete had told Hornsby that he would be ready if needed so the St Louis manager decided to bring him in to pitch to the dangerous Tony Lazzeri. With the count at 1-1, Lazzeri hit a shot down the left field line, just curving foul at the last second and missing a grand slam home run. On the next pitch, Alexander struck him out on a fastball. Pete blanked the Yankees in the eighth and ninth innings, giving the Cardinals their first of 10 World Series titles.

Alexander finished the 1926 season with a 327-178 record. With each successive victory getting harder to come by, he spent the next three seasons chasing Matty's record. On August 1, 1929, Alexander tied Mathewson with a complete game win over the Brooklyn Robins. Nine days later, Alexander finally vanquished his ghost, winning his 373rd with a relief win over Philadelphia. It would be his last.
 

Matty, Ruth, Wagner, Johnson, & Cobb

In 1930, Pete was traded back to Philadelphia where he had started his career, but after a 0-3 start and a dismal 9.14 ERA, he was released. In 1936, Christy Mathewson became one of the famous "First Five" inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame along with Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, and Honus Wagner. Alexander joined him in the Hall in 1938, but with one more victory than Christy, it’s hard to understand why he wasn’t one of the famous "First Six"

After his Major League Baseball career, Alexander barnstormed for several years, including a stint with the famous House of David baseball club. Each passing year as age and alcohol diminished his skills, he became more and more pathetic. Old Pete’s ultimate disappointment came in 1946‚ when record-keepers discovered an unrecorded 1902 Mathewson win, giving Christy 373 victories. For years Alexander had taken pride in having won one more game than Mathewson but now at the age of 59 it was too late to go back.

Broke and an alcoholic, Grover Cleveland Alexander died in a St. Paul, Nebraska boarding-house on November 4, 1950. To followers of baseball, he will always be known as the man who tied Christy Mathewson.