- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Philadelphia
- Team: Athletics (AA)
- League: American Association
Robert T. Mathews (1851-1898) won the 1st Nat’l Assoc game on May 4, 1871. Over 20 years, Mathews became the only man to win 50+ games in each of the 3 early major leagues: NAPBB, the NL, and the AA. His resume includes an NL and an AA title with the Providence Grays and Phil. Athletics respectively. Stands 25th among winningest pitchers in MLB history.
- Won 297 games, more than any other pitcher NOT inducted into the Hall of Fame
- One of the first to use the spitball and execute the curve
- Although the Old Judge series features three known poses of Bobby Mathews, I could not find one of suitable quality for this project. This image is taken from an Old Judge (Gypsy Queen) proof taken at the same time as Mathews' other OJ images and may represent an as-of-yet undiscovered pose.
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Boston
- Team: Beaneaters
- League: National League
Michael Joseph Madden (1867-1896) had a gift for curving the baseball, dazzling his hometown Portland, ME media as a teen. He had a head for the game and the heart, but sadly, not the physique. At 120 lbs he proved simply too frail for the rigors of professional play and travel in the late 1880s. His heart and head were on display during his rookie season with the Beaneaters in 1887. No matter that, for that one season, batters got four strikes; the Kid was outstanding: 21-14, 3.79 ERA completing all 37 starts. Despite his breaking stuff, he never appeared in nearly as many games in his short MLB career, suggesting his managers recognized his physical limitations. Stayed in Boston for three leagues in three years before closing out with the Orioles in 1891.
- Young Michael was taken by “consumption,” leaving a widow and two children at age 28
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Washington, D.C.
- Team: Nationals
- League: National League
- Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame
Cornelius McGillicuddy, Sr. (1862-1956). An average catcher with strong leadership skills for 11 professional seasons (1886-1896), Mack then owned (1901-1954) and managed (1901-1950) the Philadelphia Athletics for half a century, establishing many managerial records and a unique place in the pantheon of baseball icons in the 20th century.
- 5x World Series Champion
- Most Managerial Wins: 3,731
- Most Managerial Losses: 3,948
- Elected to Hall of Fame: 1937
- Mack's uniform color in this card was changed from black to blue in August, 2017 to reflect recent reliable research conducted by Craig Brown and friends at Threads of Our Game. Nine cards were previously released featuring a black uniform
- Series: Beginnings: 1880's
- City: Washington, D.C.
- Team: Nationals
- League: National League
- Hall: National Baseball Hall of Fame
Permanent Outtake: Alternate batting pose.
After finding an alternate pose with better detail, I retired this version and made a new one. You can find the new card here.
- Series: Diamond Heads '15
- City: St. Louis
- Team: Cardinals
- League: National League
John Barney Miller (1886-1923) broke into major league ball in 1909 at the top of the game. As second-baseman for the Pirates, Dots would spend his rookie season with a champion as Pittsburgh won the NL pennant and beat the Tigers in the World Series. Miller went on to a fine 12-year career with three National League clubs: five with Pittsburgh, five with the Cardinals and the last two with the Phillies. When Fred Clarke brought Miller to the ‘09 spring camp he played him at short as the team’s regular, a guy named Honus Wagner, was late arriving. There was no way Miller would stay at that position once Wagner finally showed up but his play impressed Clarke enough to earn a spot at 2nd. A reporter asked Wagner who the new kid was and Hans said “That’s Miller.” The scribe noted it phonetically and a memorable nickname was born. Dots became a versatile addition to each team, playing every position for St Louis and prompting Ring Lardner to dub him the best utility man of the era.
- Miller succumbed to TB just as his promising managerial career was beginning. He led his San Francisco Seals to the PCL pennant in 1922
- NL president John Heydler paid tribute to “a brainy player, well liked everywhere…”
Ars Longa Store
Newsletter
