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Originally Posted by CMIZ5290
Great thread Eric, I do think Mathewson has to be considered especially if pitchers are allowed into the discussion. His stats are pretty remarkable as are Walter Johnson's.....What amazes me is what Cobb's stats were against Johnson, later on in his career he had amazing success against him....
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Kevin,
Thank you very much. I appreciate you weighing in with the kind words.
As for Mathewson, I agree. Any discussion about pitchers that does not include him is sorely missing something. I am sure that there are many who would argue he is the greatest ever...and they would be making a valid point.
Regarding Cobb, I remember a portion of Baseball: A Film by Ken Burns that touched on Cobb's approach to hitting against Johnson. Apparently, Cobb would crowd the plate and Johnson would throw outside on the first couple of pitches, for fear of hitting the batter.
Johnson would then ease up a bit and throw the ball over the plate, trying to get a strike. Cobb figured that this was the pitch to hit, knew it was coming, and simply reached out with his bat and let it meet the ball
Ty was a brilliant man, no doubt…and one of the greatest players of all time, in my humble opinion.
Best Regards,
Eric