Joe looked at his chum with rage and horror dawning in his eyes. And while the full meaning of the dastardly act was sinking into his mind, it may be well for the benefit of those who have not read the preceding volumes of this series to leave him and his chum for a moment and tell who Joe was and by what steps he had reached his present position as the greatest pitcher that baseball had ever known.
Joe Matson’s first experience on the diamond was gained in the little town of Riverside in a Middle Western State, where he had been born and brought up. From early boyhood he had loved the game and displayed a natural aptitude for pitching. His success in this restricted field soon made him known as one of the best amateur boxmen of his own and surrounding towns. His early exploits and the difficulties he had to overcome are narrated in the first volume of this series, entitled: “Baseball Joe of the Silver Stars; Or, the Rivals of Riverside.”
In the second volume, “Baseball Joe on the School Nine,” can be noted the steady progress he was making in pitching skill. The bully of the school did all he could to throw obstacles in his way. But Joe throve on opposition and his grit first won and then increased his reputation.
When, a little later, he went to Yale, he found a larger field for his prowess in the box. It is a hard thing for a newcomer to break into the ranks of the veteran upper classmen who have gained glory in the athletic field. But by a singular chance Joe found his opportunity when the “Princeton Tiger came down to put some kinks in the Bulldog’s tail.” It was a sadly bedraggled Tiger, however, that went back to his lair when Joe had got through with him and had chalked up a glorious victory for Yale.
But Joe, although he stood well in his studies, was not altogether happy at the great university. His mother wanted him to study for the ministry, but Joe, although he respected that noble profession, felt too strongly the call to the outdoor life. He felt that he had it in him to make good in the ranks of professional baseball, and finally gained his mother’s reluctant consent to make the venture. His chance came when a minor league manager, who had been struck with his work in the game with Princeton, made him an offer. Joe promptly accepted, and it was not long before his manager learned that he had drawn a prize in getting a man on his team who had all the earmarks of a star. How Joe began to climb in professional baseball is told in the fourth volume of the series, entitled: “Baseball Joe in the Central League.”
In these days of keen-eyed scouts no player can long hide his light under a bushel, and before long Joe, to his great delight, was drafted by the St. Louis team of the National League and ceased to be a “busher.” Here he was brought into competition with the greatest players of the game, and it soon became apparent that he could hold his own with any of them.
No one realized this sooner than McRae, the famous manager of the New York Giants. Several books of this series are devoted to his exciting experiences with this great team, of which he was still the mainstay when this volume opens. It was his magnificent work in the box that won for the Giants the championship of the National League and carried them to victory in several World Series with the champions of the American League. After one of his greatest years he went with the team on a tour about the world, in the course of which he had many hazardous and thrilling adventures.
During this time he was not only showing phenomenal skill as a pitcher, but was rapidly growing in repute as a batsman. He was a natural hitter, timing and meeting the ball perfectly and landing on it so hard that it sought the farthest corner of the field. Before long the fans began to crowd the grounds not only to see a ball game but to “see Matson knock out another homer.” How his batting and pitching combined made him a national baseball idol is narrated in the preceding volume of this series, entitled: “Baseball Joe, Home Run King; Or, the Greatest Pitcher and Batter on Record.”