Baseball's First Superstar

The Lost Life Story of Christy Mathewson

By: Alan D. Gaff

Narrated by: James McSorley

In his first fourteen seasons, as a pitcher for the Giants, Christy Mathewson never won fewer than twenty games in a season, and he almost single-handedly won the 1905 World Series. In 1918, though age thirty-eight and exempt from military service, he enlisted for World War I, where he exposed himself to nearly lethal amounts of mustard gas as he taught soldiers how to put on gas masks. When he returned home, he was diagnosed with lung problems and tuberculosis, which led to his untimely death at the age of forty-five.

After Mathewson’s death, his eulogies were many, but it was impossible to catch the essence of his life in a single newspaper column. Jane Mathewson, his widow, was determined to provide the reading public with a more intimate portrait of her husband and approached prominent sportswriter Bozeman Bulger, who had known Mathewson for twenty years. Bulger wrote a series of articles titled “The Life Story of Christy Mathewson.” His portraits about the player were amplified by original accounts from Jane, and several unpublished chapters from Mathewson himself, which had been discovered among his papers. These combined accounts allow listeners to hear from Mathewson and those who knew him best.

A superstar long before that term was coined, Mathewson became an icon of sportsmanship. He was posthumously elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame at its first induction ceremony in 1936.

The book is published by University of Nebraska Press. The audiobook is published by University Press Audiobooks.

©2025 Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska (P)2025 Redwood Audiobooks

Critic reviews

“You don’t want to miss this wonderful book.” (Paul Semendinger, author of The Least among Them)

“An essential read for any baseball fan who loves and appreciates the game’s history.” (Mark Braff, author of Sons of Baseball)

“A wonderful tale that should be on every baseball fan’s nightstand.” (Robert Skead, author of The Batboy and the Unbreakable Record)

Remembering a pitching legend

The book demonstrated the importance of newspapers during baseball's dead ball era. Baseball writers told the stories that fans couldn't see, unless they paid to watch a game live. Today, we are spoiled by watching the sport on TV or on a streaming platform, but back in the day, the newspapers shaped the public's opinion of the sports as a whole - and the teams and players. Mathewson was described at the time being more popular than the President.

Mathewson had drawing power, showmanship, intelligence, and had the looks that drove the ladies crazy. Gaff measures his baseball accompaniments to stars of his era - Honus Wagner, Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and Walter Johnson. Some believe that he was the greatest pitcher in Major League baseball history, and perhaps the sports first superstar. In this work, you will hear portions of his memories, and an explanation on why Mathewson was a success.

The book explains how Mathewson became a New York Giant, and what manager John McGraw thought of his star hurler. "Baseball's First Superstar" examines how he developed his pitching style, and the origin of his nicknames. Gaff explorers the private side of star pitcher. I enjoyed the "The Lost Life Story of Christy Mathewson."