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?
