1912 NL Mathewson Award

1912 National League Pitchers

		WN	LS	GP	GS	CG	SH	SV	IP	HIT	BB	SO	ERA
C MATHEWSON	NY	23	12	43	34	27	0	4	310	311	34	134	212
R MARQUARD	NY	26	11	43	38	22	1	1	295	286	80	175	256
J TESREAU	NY	17	7	36	28	19	3	1	243	177	106	119	196
C HENDRIX	PIT	24	9	39	32	25	4	1	289	256	105	176	258
N RUCKER	BRO	18	21	45	34	23	6	4	298	272	72	151	220
L CHENEY	CHI	26	10	42	37	28	4	0	303	262	111	140	285
H CAMNITZ	PIT	22	12	41	32	22	2	2	277	256	82	121	283
P ALEXANDER	PHI	19	17	46	34	26	3	3	310	289	105	195	282

         I think Mathewson was again the NL's best pitcher, though he didn't lead the lead in any of the major stats. Matty was nearing the end of his career, and he allowed more hits than he probably would have liked. Still, he hardly walked anybody, and was second in the league in innings pitched, ERA, complete games, and saves.
         Rube Marquard was heralded as a coming star when he broke in with the Giants in 1908; John McGraw thought so highly of him, that he paid Marquard a lofty sum of $11,000. Three bad seasons later, Rube was considered a bust by Giants fans, who nicknamed him "The $11,000 Lemon". Rube finally started to pitch well, and this year led the NL in wins. He also set a major league record with 19 consecutive wins, a record that still stands as of 2001. It was a fine season - though his record in the first half (19-0) was much better than in the second half (7-11).
         Marquard continued to pitch well for several more years, won 201 games, and was elected to the Hall Of Fame. Though he was a good pitcher, the reality is that Marquard is one of the weakest pitchers in the Hall. Even in his best year, his ERA wasn't all that great. Though he won a lot of games, his records were only a little better than those of the teams he pitched for. He was about as good a pitcher as Mike Flanagan, which is a long way from the Hall Of Fame.
         This was Jeff Tesreau's rookie season, and he led the NL in ERA, though he didn't pitch as often as Matty or Marquard. In his first three years in the majors, Tesreau was the toughest pitcher to hit in the NL. He faded fast, though; despite the great start, Tesreau lasted only seven years, presumably bowing out with injuries.
         Claude Hendrix also had a fast start to his career. This was Hendrix' second season, and he was already one of the best pitchers in the NL. Two years later, he jumped over to the expansion Federal League, and was the FL's best pitcher in 1914. The Federal League folded a year later; Hendrix returned to the NL, and pitched for five years with mediocre numbers.