Bobby Mathews

Born: 11/21/1851 in Baltimore, MD, USA

Died: 4/17/1898 in Baltimore, MD, USA

MLB Debut: 1871-05-04 | Final Game: 1887-10-10

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'5" | Weight: 140 lbs

Full name: Robert T. Mathews

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Biography

Bobby Mathews was a notable pitcher in the early days of professional baseball, whose career spanned from 1871 to 1887. Born in 1851, Mathews became one of the prominent hurlers of his time, amassing a career record of 297-248. He established himself as a formidable presence on the mound with an earned run average (ERA) of 2.86, reflecting his ability to limit scoring opportunities for opposing teams. Over his career, he recorded 1,528 strikeouts and notched 3 saves, showcasing his skill in both starting and closing games in an era when the role of the pitcher was still evolving. Mathews played during a transformative period in baseball, marked by the transition from the deadball era to a more modern style of play. His contributions to the game were significant, as he helped set the standard for pitching excellence and durability. Known for his competitive spirit and tactical approach, Mathews left a lasting impact on the sport, inspiring future generations of pitchers. His legacy remains a testament to the early artistry of baseball, reflecting the challenges and triumphs of an era that laid the groundwork for the sport as we know it today.

Career Pitching Statistics

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
297	248	578	568	525	20	3	4956.0	5601	1573	70	532	1528	2.86	0

Career ERA 2.86 vs. league average 3.16 across their career seasons — 9.6% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1871	FW1		6	11	19	19	19	1	0	169.0	261	97	21	17	5.17	4.22 (-22%)	368.2
1872	BL1		25	18	49	47	39	0	0	406.0	480	144	52	57	3.19	3.66 (+13%)	286.0
1873	NY2		29	23	52	52	47	2	0	443.0	489	127	62	79	2.58	3.40 (+24%)	1050.1
1874	NY2		42	22	65	65	62	4	0	578.0	652	122	41	101	1.90	2.19 (+13%)	3187.7
1875	NY2		29	38	70	70	69	3	0	625.7	711	173	20	75	2.49	2.23 (-12%)	850.5
1876	NY3	NL	21	34	56	56	55	2	0	516.0	693	164	24	37	2.86	2.31 (-24%)	-1833.3
1877	CN1	NL	3	12	15	15	13	0	0	129.3	208	58	17	9	4.04	2.81 (-44%)	-955.3
1879	PRO	NL	12	6	27	25	15	1	1	189.0	194	48	26	90	2.29	2.50 (+8%)	107.0
1881	PRO	NL	4	8	14	14	10	1	0	102.3	121	36	21	28	3.17	2.77 (-14%)	-614.0
1881	BSN	NL	1	0	5	1	1	0	2	23.0	22	6	11	5	2.35	2.77 (+15%)	-527.2
1882	BSN	NL	19	15	34	32	31	0	0	285.0	278	91	22	153	2.87	2.80 (-3%)	4971.0
1883	PH4	AA	30	13	44	44	41	1	0	381.0	396	104	31	203	2.46	3.22 (+24%)	4255.9
1884	PH4	AA	30	18	49	49	48	3	0	430.7	401	159	49	286	3.32	3.11 (-7%)	5174.1
1885	PH4	AA	30	17	48	48	46	2	0	422.3	394	114	57	286	2.43	3.03 (+20%)	10066.2
1886	PH4	AA	13	9	24	24	22	0	0	197.7	226	87	53	93	3.96	3.37 (-18%)	56.3
1887	PH4	AA	3	4	7	7	7	0	0	58.0	75	43	25	9	6.67	4.17 (-60%)	-1674.0

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
623	2486	318	504	48	9	1	164	10	73	62	0.203	0.225	0.230	0.456	-9423.4

Career AVG .203 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — 20.9% below league average.

Career OBP .225 vs. league average .292 across their career seasons — 22.7% below league average.

Career SLG .230 vs. league average .338 across their career seasons — 31.8% below league average.

Career OPS 0.456 vs. league average 0.629 across their career seasons — 27.6% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1871	FW1		19	89	15	24	3	1	0	10	2	2	0	0.270	.286 (-6%)	.311 (-8%)	.383 (-15%)	.695 (-12%)	-162.7
1872	BL1		50	222	36	50	2	0	0	22	3	3	2	0.225	.285 (-21%)	.296 (-21%)	.347 (-33%)	.644 (-27%)	-901.0
1873	NY2		52	223	40	43	3	3	0	14	1	10	3	0.193	.290 (-34%)	.304 (-25%)	.357 (-35%)	.661 (-30%)	-1062.3
1874	NY2		65	298	46	72	6	1	0	30	2	3	4	0.242	.273 (-12%)	.282 (-12%)	.333 (-19%)	.615 (-16%)	-693.7
1875	NY2		70	264	23	48	6	2	0	15	1	2	5	0.182	.253 (-28%)	.260 (-28%)	.309 (-29%)	.570 (-29%)	-1074.5
1876	NY3	NL	56	218	19	40	4	1	0	9	0	3	2	0.183	.265 (-31%)	.277 (-30%)	.320 (-34%)	.598 (-32%)	-1017.6
1877	CN1	NL	15	59	5	10	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	0.169	.271 (-37%)	.289 (-37%)	.337 (-50%)	.626 (-44%)	-354.7
1879	PRO	NL	43	173	25	35	2	0	1	10	0	7	12	0.202	.255 (-21%)	.270 (-14%)	.328 (-30%)	.599 (-22%)	-504.6
1881	PRO	NL	16	57	6	11	1	0	0	4	0	5	6	0.193	.260 (-26%)	.290 (-11%)	.338 (-38%)	.628 (-25%)	-182.3
1881	BSN	NL	19	71	2	12	2	0	0	4	0	0	5	0.169	.260 (-35%)	.290 (-42%)	.338 (-42%)	.628 (-42%)	-182.3
1882	BSN	NL	45	169	17	38	6	0	0	13	0	8	18	0.225	.248 (-9%)	.275 (-6%)	.329 (-21%)	.605 (-14%)	-307.9
1883	PH4	AA	45	167	15	31	2	0	0	11	0	5	0	0.186	.257 (-28%)	.285 (-27%)	.345 (-43%)	.631 (-36%)	-865.6
1884	PH4	AA	49	184	26	34	5	1	0	0	0	7	0	0.185	.243 (-24%)	.278 (-23%)	.327 (-32%)	.606 (-28%)	-745.8
1885	PH4	AA	48	179	22	30	3	0	0	12	0	10	0	0.168	.244 (-31%)	.287 (-26%)	.325 (-43%)	.613 (-35%)	-917.9
1886	PH4	AA	24	88	16	21	3	0	0	10	1	3	0	0.239	.246 (-3%)	.302 (-13%)	.331 (-18%)	.634 (-15%)	-205.8
1887	PH4	AA	7	25	5	5	0	0	0	0	0	4	3	0.200	—	—	—	—	0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
3B	9	1	5	6	10	1
OF	80	2	54	8	21	1
P	578	130	236	791	220	22
SS	2	0	1	1	4	0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1871	FW1	P	19	19	19	23	8	2
1872	BL1	3B	3	1	1	3	6	0
1872	BL1	OF	8	2	1	0	0	0
1872	BL1	P	49	46	20	51	20	2
1873	NY2	OF	5	0	2	0	1	0
1873	NY2	P	52	0	27	58	24	1
1874	NY2	3B	1	0	1	1	0	1
1874	NY2	OF	1	0	0	0	0	0
1874	NY2	P	65	65	29	101	38	2
1875	NY2	OF	1	0	0	0	0	0
1875	NY2	P	70	0	44	106	29	4
1876	NY3	OF	1	0	0	0	0	0
1876	NY3	P	56	0	41	78	28	0
1877	CN1	OF	1	0	0	0	0	0
1877	CN1	P	15	0	7	18	4	0
1877	CN1	SS	1	0	1	1	3	0
1879	PRO	3B	5	0	3	2	4	0
1879	PRO	OF	21	0	17	5	7	1
1879	PRO	P	27	0	4	39	2	0
1881	PRO	OF	5	0	3	0	1	0
1881	PRO	P	14	0	1	16	4	2
1881	BSN	OF	18	0	24	3	6	0
1881	BSN	P	5	0	2	2	0	0
1882	BSN	OF	13	0	6	0	5	0
1882	BSN	P	34	0	5	34	6	1
1882	BSN	SS	1	0	0	0	1	0
1883	PH4	OF	3	0	0	0	0	0
1883	PH4	P	44	0	15	68	12	2
1884	PH4	OF	1	0	0	0	0	0
1884	PH4	P	49	0	8	78	25	1
1885	PH4	OF	1	0	1	0	0	0
1885	PH4	P	48	0	7	67	10	1
1886	PH4	OF	1	0	0	0	1	0
1886	PH4	P	24	0	5	38	8	3
1887	PH4	P	7	0	2	14	2	1