Tragedy in Oklahoma with Walter Johnson and Christy Mathewson

Long before professional baseball players earned enough money to buy mansions and yachts, they eked out a living by selling their services as often as possible. In the deadball era, players frequently played exhibition games to scrounge together extra salary when the time allowed. After the regular season, many players would participate in games for $100 here and $250 there. Due to his lightning-quick fastball, Walter Johnson was often recruited for such contests. In 1913, one of the most amazing exhibition tours commenced, which gave Johnson an opportunity to face the other great pitcher of his era for the only time. The circumstances of that game were remarkable, and sadly tragic.

Following the 1913 season two teams, the Chicago White Sox and New York Giants, embarked on a cross-country journey that kicked off a world tour to promote baseball. The scheme was hatched by Giants’ manager John McGraw and White Sox’ owner Charles Comiskey, who never missed a chance to make a buck. Each team supplied players for the tour, which started after the completion of the World Series, and stars from each league filled out the rosters as needed. The tour began on the east coast and would wind its way west, stopping to play exhibitions along the way. Finally, the two teams would board a ship in California and travel across the Pacific Ocean to play in…