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Every year, the Hall of Fame voting process for enshrinement into Cooperstown ignites a storm of debate over who should make it, who should not, whether this player is more deserving than that one, etc. This annual tradition began on February 2, 1936, when five men were elected to baseball’s inaugural Hall of Fame class. Taking into consideration only “modern” players (i.e. careers started after 1900), this illustrious quintet included the then (and for many years thereafter) home run king Babe Ruth, the all-time hits leader Ty Cobb, the legendary shortstop Honus Wagner, and two of the preeminent pitchers of the day, Walter Johnson and Christy Mathewson. As arguably two of the greatest pitchers of the early 20th century whose careers will forever be linked by their status as one of the first five baseball immortals, the question naturally arises:
Who was better – Walter Johnson or Christy Mathewson?
The Beginning
As professional baseball was still in its infancy at the turn of the 20th century, players like Walter Johnson and Christy Mathewson were signed as teens and thrust into the major leagues at a very young age – for these two legends, their early days were promising, but not without growing pains.
Johnson was playing in the Idaho State League as a teenager when he was spotted by a scout and signed by the Washington Senators in 1907. Over his first three seasons with Washington, he would have a losing record of 32-48, though his peripheral numbers were excellent: a 1.94 ERA, ERA+ numbers of 129, 138, and 111, respectively (ERA+ is an advanced statistic that adjusts a pitcher’s ERA for both his ballpark and the league-wide ERA; 100 is average), a 1.05 WHIP, and 395 strikeouts in 663.0 innings pitched. His breakout season came in 1910, when at the age of 22, Johnson led the majors with 370.0 innings pitched and compiled a 25-17 record with a 1.36 ERA (183 ERA+), 0.91 WHIP, 313 strikeouts, 38 complete games, and 8 shutouts.
As for Mathewson, he began playing semi-pro ball at the age of 14 and also played minor league baseball in Pennsylvania while at Bucknell University. While playing in the Virginia-Carolina League for Norfolk, Mathewson was purchased by the New York Giants; however, after going 0-3 with a 5.08 ERA in 1900, he was sent back to Norfolk and then purchased by the Cincinnati Reds, though things came full-circle when he was traded back to the Giants. He stuck the second time around and produced the first of many great seasons with the Giants in 1901 at age 20, pitching 336.0 innings and going 20-17 with a 2.41 ERA (138 ERA+), 1.15 WHIP, 221 strikeouts, 36 complete games, and 5 shutouts.
Career Comparison
Throughout the first quarter of the 20th century, in any particular year, it was probable that either Johnson or Mathewson was the premier pitcher in the major leagues, putting up workhorse numbers that were staggering, but also indicative of pitching in those days.
Johnson’s breakout season in 1910 was the first of 10 consecutive 20-win seasons, and 12 overall, including a couple of top-5 MVP finishes in 1911 and 1912 (the first two years it was awarded). As a follow-up, he would win both his first Pitching Triple Crown (wins, ERA, and strikeouts) and first MVP in 1913 on the back of a 36-7 record (career-high in wins), a career-best 1.14 ERA (259 ERA+), a career-low 0.78 WHIP, 243 strikeouts, 29 complete games, and a career-high 11 shutouts over 370.0 innings pitched. Another Triple Crown followed in 1918, as Johnson pitched 326.0 innings with a 23-13 record, 1.27 ERA (214 ERA+), 0.95 WHIP, 162 strikeouts, 29 complete games, and 8 shutouts. During the 1910s decade, Johnson had a sub-2.00 ERA nine times, including in seven consecutive years (the lone exception was 1917, when it clocked in at 2.21). Later on, in his age-36 season in 1924, he would win both the Triple Crown and MVP again after going 23-7 with a 2.72 ERA (149 ERA+), 1.12 WHIP, 158 strikeouts, 20 complete games, and 6 shutouts over 277.2 innings pitched.
Similarly, Mathewson built off his stellar 1901 season by amassing three straight 30-win seasons from 1903 to 1905. Of particular note, he would win the Triple Crown in 1905 on the strength of a 31-9 record, 1.28 ERA (230 ERA+), 0.93 WHIP, 230 strikeouts, 32 complete games, and 8 shutouts over 338.2 innings pitched. Following a couple of down seasons by his high standards, Mathewson garnered the Triple Crown again in 1908 – over a career-high 390.2 innings pitched, he had a 37-11 record (career-high for wins) a 1.43 ERA (169 ERA+), a career-low 0.83 WHIP, 259 strikeouts, 34 complete games, and a career-high 11 shutouts. The next season, while “only” pitching 275.1 innings, he had the best winning percentage of his career (25-6 record) with a career-low 1.14 ERA (224 ERA+) and nearly matched his career-best WHIP (0.83). Mathewson’s last great year came in 1913 at age 32, when he went 25-11 over 306.0 innings pitched with a 2.06 ERA (153 ERA+), 1.02 WHIP, 25 complete games, and 4 shutouts, though only 93 strikeouts. Upon retiring in 1916, Mathewson’s career would come full-circle once again as he became manager of the Cincinnati Reds; he would later enlist in World War I and was accidentally gassed during a chemical training exercise, which led to the tuberculosis that would eventually lead to his death at the relatively young age of 45.
Putting their career numbers side-by-side, Johnson’s numbers are generally superior due to his greater longevity and consistency. Over 21 seasons, he had 12 20-win seasons (including two 30-win seasons), 11 seasons with a sub-2.00 ERA and nine with a sub-1.00 WHIP, in addition to seven 200+ strikeout years (including two 300+ strikeout campaigns); in comparison, over his 17 seasons, Mathewson actually had more 20-win (13x) and 30-win (4x) seasons, though fewer sub-2.00 ERA (6x) and sub-1.00 WHIP (4x) campaigns, and was much less of a strikeout pitcher (only five seasons of 200+ strikeouts). In aggregate, Johnson also had more career wins (417 to 373), more strikeouts (3,509 to 2,507), and is the career leader in shutouts (110 to Mathewson’s 79); it must be noted, however, that he pitched over 1,100 additional innings and took 91 more losses (279 to 188; thus a .599 winning percentage for Johnson vs. .665 for Mathewson). For ratios, Mathewson had the lower absolute ERA (2.13 to 2.17), but on an adjusted basis, Johnson was better (147 to 136 ERA+); their WHIPs are essentially the same. Again, in part due to greater longevity, Johnson has the higher Wins Above Replacement (WAR) of 165.2 to 104.0. When looking at their awards and accolades, Johnson has more MVP awards (2 to 0, though again, the honors did not exist until 1911 in the waning part of Mathewson’s career) and an additional Pitching Triple Crown, with both leading the league in ERA 5x; had the award existed back then, each player would surely have a few Cy Young Awards to their name as well (it was first awarded in 1956). Based on their career achievements, Johnson and Mathewson were clearly deserving of the honor of being part of baseball’s inaugural Hall of Fame class.
Regular Season Statistics
| Walter Johnson | Player | Christy Mathewson |
| 21 (1907-1927) | Seasons | 17 (1900-1916) |
| 802 | Games Played | 636 |
| 5,914.1 | Innings Pitched | 4,788.2 |
| 417-279 | W-L Record | 373-188 |
| 2.17 | ERA | 2.13 |
| 147 | ERA+ | 136 |
| 1.06 | WHIP | 1.06 |
| 3,509 | Strikeouts | 2,507 |
| 110 | Shutouts | 79 |
| 165.2 | Wins Above Replacement | 104.0 |
| 2x | MVP | – |
| 1x | World Series Titles | 1x |
| 3x Triple Crown, 5x ERA | Other Awards | 2x Triple Crown, 5x ERA |
| 1936 | Hall of Fame Induction | 1936 |
Source: Baseball-Reference.com
Back in the early 1900s, there were no playoffs and the winners of the AL and NL pennants met directly in the World Series. Both Johnson and Mathewson came away with one career World Series title and each pitched well in their respective appearances, whether they be in winning or losing efforts.
Johnson made the World Series twice, in consecutive years in 1924 and 1925. In 1924, he went 1-2 with a 3.00 ERA in 24 innings pitched, but his Senators were able to beat the New York Giants in seven games; the following year, while his personal numbers were better (2-1 record with a 2.08 ERA over 26 innings pitched), his defending champion team lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates in seven games.
Meanwhile, Mathewson became a superstar in the 1905 World Series, when he pitched to the tune of a 3-0 record with three complete game shutouts to lead his Giants over the Philadelphia Athletics in five games (in fact, all five games were shutouts). Though his team would make the World Series in three consecutive years from 1911 to 1913, they would lose all three times – to Philadelphia in 1911 (4-2), to the Boston Red Sox in 1912 (4-3), and again to Philadelphia in 1913 (4-1) – despite Mathewson’s efforts (1.33 ERA over 74.2 innings pitched, but resulting in a 2-5 record).
Playoff Statistics
| Walter Johnson | Player | Christy Mathewson |
| 6 | Games Played | 11 |
| 50.0 | Innings Pitched | 101.2 |
| 3-3 | W-L Record | 5-5 |
| 2.52 | ERA | 0.97 |
| 1.42 | WHIP | 0.84 |
| 35 | Strikeouts | 48 |
| 1 | Shutouts | 4 |
Source: Baseball-Reference.com
Every athlete goes through a natural career lifecycle, from starting off as a rookie to reaching peak years of performance and finally, declining into the inevitable retirement due to a combination of age and/or injury; despite their ironman careers, neither Johnson nor Mathewson were able to escape Father Time, with Mathewson’s decline coming quickly and more pronounced in his mid-30s. For Hall of Fame caliber players across sports, I like to look at a concept I call a “decade of dominance.” The thinking behind this is that for most Hall of Fame type careers, there are roughly 10 great seasons that define an athlete (this idea is embodied in a sense by the NFL’s All-Decade teams), though due to injury or other factors, they might not be 10 consecutive years.
Decade of Dominance
| Walter Johnson | Player | Christy Mathewson |
| 1910-1916 1918-1919, 1924 | Decade of Dominance | 1903-1905, 1907-1913 |
| 445 | Games Played | 436 |
| 3,379.1 | Innings Pitched | 3,295.0 |
| 265-134 | W-L Record | 281-108 |
| 1.62 | ERA | 1.82 |
| 0.96 | WHIP | 1.01 |
| 2,189 | Strikeouts | 1,823 |
| 72 | Shutouts | 53 |
| 108.5 | Wins Above Replacement | 83.8 |
Source: Baseball-Reference.com
While Johnson’s career numbers generally have the edge due to his aforementioned greater longevity and consistency, the decades of dominance are much closer. Across a very similar number of innings pitched, Mathewson has a much better win-loss record, though Johnson still holds the edge in ratios, strikeouts, and shutouts, which in turn contributes to his higher overall WAR; in particular, Johnson’s Triple Crown season of 1913 had an incredible 15.0 WAR (vs. a career-best 11.7 WAR for Mathewson in his 1908 Triple Crown season).
My Thoughts
The comparison between Walter Johnson and Christy Mathewson reminds me a bit of two contemporary rival pitchers of the late 20th century – Roger Clemens like Johnson being the premier power pitcher and Greg Maddux like Mathewson being the more finesse but equally effective hurler. However, while both Clemens and Maddux were able to pitch 20+ years the way Johnson did, Mathewson ultimately does not have quite the same longevity. At his absolute peak and over shorter periods of time (e.g. 1903-1905), I would argue that Mathewson was actually the better pitcher than Johnson and against almost any other pitcher of that era, I would say that he had the better career (obviously, I never saw Johnson or Mathewson pitch in person or on TV, so my opinion is based mainly on the numbers). But when you match him up against Johnson, The Big Train (as Johnson was called) simply was too much for Big Six – too consistently great over too long of a period of time. Even Ty Cobb, a contemporary and arguably the greatest hitter ever, only had complimentary words for Johnson, saying after their first encounter, “We couldn’t touch him…every one of us knew we’d met the most powerful arm ever turned loose in a ball park.”
Thus, after weighing their careers against each other in terms of statistics, achievements, and impact, the winner of this faceoff is:
Walter Johnson
As always, vote for your choice and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Further Reading
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