A late start to his professional baseball life also meant he was an older than usual rookie. Still, the Boston Red Sox purchased Bill Matthews from Trenton and, upon his arrival in Cleveland, Matthews was put on the slab as the starting pitcher against the Naps on August 28, 1909.

To his credit, the 31-year-old rookie fought through the nerves, making it into the seventh inning having given up just a single run. However, a couple of extra base hits and a walk later, and Bill Matthews was done. Boston still lead 4 – 3 and Ed Karger came in to pitch in relief. He walked a batter, but got a 6-4-3 double play to get out of the inning. Karger fought through his own wildness to finish the game, giving the Red Sox the win.

Modern scorekeeping says that the win should go to Matthews, with Karger getting the save. However, the Cleveland scorekeeper felt that Karger’s getting out of the seventh without giving up the tieing run was more important (and they didn’t have saves then) so he gave the win to Karger instead. Matthews would pitch four more times in relief for Boston, but never get a decision.

William Calvin Matthews arrived in Pottsville, Pennsylvania (some sources suggest Mahanoy, Pennsylvania) on January 5, 1878, the son of George J. and Emma Louise (Fisher) Matthews – the second child of a dozen children the warehouse laborer and his busy bride would have. William started playing baseball in his youth – an article notes that he once got hit in the eye with the ball during a game in 1892. After joining the US Army in 1898 and re-enlisting in 1899 (he served in a cavalry unit during the Spanish-American War), Matthews both grew and learned to pitch while serving in Puerto Rico and Cuba. Leaving the army and returning to Pottsville, he was invited to play in a practice game against the Pottsville club.

During the practice matches of the Pottsville base ball team, a new discovery has been made by the local management.  This find has been in the person of William Matthews, who has shown more than ordinary ability as a pitcher and who will probably be signed for the coming season.  Billy’s speed is phenomenal and his curves are very great, and some of the benders he has delivered during the week gave the local stars plenty of time to exercise their back muscles.

“A New Pitcher,” Miners Journal (Pottsville, PA), April 19. 1902: 4.

As the season came to its conclusion, Matthews first semi-professional season was a success. “To William Matthews, who learned to throw deceptive slants and benders while a soldier in Cuba, the bouquets are due as he leads the pitchers in the [winning percentage].” (He went 15-6.) He returned to Pottsville for 1903, but was picked up by Harrisburg for the 1904 season. Before he left, however, he earned the save in another situation.

Matthews helped corral a horse drawn wagon when the two young mules that were pulling the farmer’s wagon were spooked by a passing trolley.  The driver had barely gotten the mules to stop by jumping off the bench and getting in front of the mules, but when the trolley rolled past, the mules took off.  Matthews somehow got the them to make a turn in front of him, he jumped onto the wagon, and was able to get the mules to eventually come to a stop.  In the process, he rescued two women who were onboard the wagon, stuck amongst their belongings that got jostled when the mules sprung to action and were helpless as the mules were racing through Mt. Carbon at a breakneck clip.

Matthews pitched pretty well at Harrisburg, earning opportunities to pitch for other clubs. Wilmington (Delaware) and Buffalo expressed an interest and Matthews inserted himself into the negotiations, eventually getting $275 a month to pitch for Buffalo. However, Matthews burned some bridges in leaving Harrisburg.

“While no one blames him for getting more money his manner of leaving was not just what was expected from him after a statement by him that he would not do anything dishonorable.  All the time Matthews was working the Buffalo management to offer him more money.  He was a good twirler and will be missed on the team.  However there are some who believe that he has been to some extent a party to many of the uprisings among the members and that it will not be difficult to fill his place.

“Matthews departure was the subject of much comment to-day and the Baseball Committee’s troubles are not getting any less.  There will be several new players, according to the announcement to-day.

“Billy Matthews Goes to Buffalo,” Harrisburg Telegraph, August 11, 1904: 6.

And, while Matthews won five of six decisions with Buffalo, he wasn’t brought back for 1905 – in part because Matthews got a good offer closer to home.

Instead, Matthews would head to Troy for the first of five seasons in the Tri-State League. Pitching in Troy for 1905, 1906 and part of 1907, Reading in 1907 and part of 1908 and finally Trenton for most of 1908 and 1909, Matthews became known throughout the league as an ironman. He would occasionally pitch both games of double headers (he won two with Reading over Altoona on July 30, 1907), and sometimes would pitch on back-to-back days. While he never had an arm injury throwing a sidearmed fastball and curve, he did get knocked unconscious by a batted ball once… (He did throw out the runner at first before passing out.)

It was this level of success (and a need for pitching) that led Boston to give Matthews a chance at the major league level. In five games, including the one start, Matthews logged 16.2 innings to a 3.24 ERA, but walked ten against only six strikeouts. Matthews stuck around long enough to get into a postseason exhibition game against the New York Giants as a late inning reliever. When Boston sent out contracts to players for the 1910 season, Matthews didn’t get one. Instead, he was optioned to Wilkes-Barre of the New York State League. Matthews won 20 in that first season and pitched the pennant clinching game six months to the day of signing that contract. He was less successful in 1911, and then Trenton returned Matthews to the Tri-State League for 1912.

What we know about Bill Matthews the pitcher is that he was a six footer with a medium build and a crossfire delivery fired out of his right hand. We don’t know what side of the plate Matthews preferred – though it likely didn’t matter. In his eight MLB at bats, he struck out three times without getting a hit. In the minors, his career average hovered around .130. As a young pitcher, he was actually known as Billy Matthews until he turned 30 (give or take). From that point on, he was Bill Matthews instead. (Except for the six weeks he spent with the Red Sox because someone misspelled his last name and the papers spelled it Mathews. Oops. They needed a better sports information person.)

When he wasn’t playing baseball, Matthews was working in the local industries. He briefly worked in coal mines, then spent a long time working for the Pennsylvania Railroad in a variety of roles. The railroad job paid well – and Matthews considered calling it a career heading into the 1913 season. Then, he was horsing around with a friend and broke his pitching hand. So, he missed the season anyway. And with that, William Matthews’s professional career came to a close.

For at least the remainder of the decade, Matthews and his family, including wife Isabelle Beatrice Gibbons, daughters Emily and Isabelle, and son Frank, would live in Trenton, New Jersey. For a few years, he would make a little side money pitching for semi-pro shop teams in the city. In 1921, he took a position closer to home with the Silver Creek Water Company at Tumbling Run, Pennsylvania. As he got older, he shifted from labor roles to that of a night watchman.

In his last year on this planet, Matthews began dealing with heart disease and arteriosclerosis. In 1946, a few weeks beyond his 68th birthday, the two diseases conspired to take him to the next league on January 23rd. He died at his Mt. Carbon, Pennsylvania home early in the morning. William Calvin Matthews was buried at Calvary Cemetery in Pottsville.

Notes:

Baseball-Reference.com
1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940 US Census Records
US Army Enlistments
PA Spanish American War Pension Applications
PA Death Certficate
WWI Draft Registration Form

“Base Ball Accidents,” Miners Journal (Pottsville, PA), May 30, 1892: 1.
“A New Pitcher,” Miners Journal (Pottsville, PA), April 19. 1902: 4.
“Pottstown Was Shut Out,” Pottsville Republican, August 26, 1902: 2.
“Record of the Pitchers,” Pottsville Republican, September 22, 1902: 2.
“York is Again Victorious,” Pottsville Republican, May 27, 1903: 4.
“Something Original in Runaways,” Pottsville Republican, April 18, 1904: 1.
“Mt. Carbon Comment,” Pottsville Republican, April 21, 1904: 1.
“In the World of Sport,” The Miners Journal (Pottsville, PA), May 2, 1904: 6.
“Will Not Be a Pitcher,” The Miners Journal (Pottsville, PA), June 25, 1904: 5.
In the World of Sport,” The Miners Journal (Pottsville, PA), July 11, 1904: 1.
“’Billy’ Matthews Has Not Jumped,” Harrisburg Telegraph, August 6, 1904: 1.
“Billy Matthews Goes to Buffalo,” Harrisburg Telegraph, August 11, 1904: 6.
“Pitcher Matthews is Sick,” Pottsville Republican, August 8, 1905: 3.
“Matthews Injured,” Pottsville Republican, July 7, 1906: 4.
“Billy Matthews Suffered Two Defeats in Ohio,” York Gazette, September 5, 1906: 3.
“Two More Victories for Reading Bunch,” York Gazette, July 31, 1907: 3.
“Mt. Carbon Comment,” Pottsville Republican, April 11, 1908: 4.
“Mt. Carbon Comment,” Pottsville Republican, July 11, 1908: 4.
“Tri-State Official Averages,” Philadelphia Inquirer, November 30, 1908: 11.
“Mathews to Join Monday,” Boston Globe, August 14, 1909: 3.
“The Man in the Grand Stand,” Trenton Evening Times, August 15, 1909: 8.
“Red Sox Win in a Game of Games,” Boston Globe, August 29, 1909: 11.
“Red Sox Take Deciding Game,” Boston Globe, October 15, 1909: 5.
“State League Gossip,” Wilkes-Barre Record, March 16, 1910: 12.
“Pennant is Cinched,” Wilkes-Barre Record, September 16, 1910: 15.
“State League Notes,” Wilkes-Barre Evening News, May 12, 1911: 17.
“Mt. Carbon Mention,” Pottsville Republican, February 12, 1913: 6.
“Matthews Broke Pitching Hand,” York Dispatch, May 16, 1913: 13.
“Bill Matthews to Pitch Opener,” Trenton Evening Times, May 3, 1916: 8. (Also, photo from here.)
“Hilldale and Tigers Split,” Pottsville Republican, August 29, 1921: 7.
“Giants Winner Over Cressona,” Harrisburg Courier, August 13, 1922: 5.
“William Matthews,” Pottsville Republican, January 23, 1946: 12