Ralph Mattis (August 24, 1890 – September 13, 1960), known also as Matty Mattis, was a

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

whose career spanned seven seasons, one of which was spent in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) with the

Pittsburgh Rebels The Pittsburgh Rebels were a baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1913 to 1915. The team was a member of the short-lived Federal League. The team was originally called the Pittsburgh Stogies after an earlier Pittsburgh team that ...

(1914). In his only season in the majors, Mattis batted .247 with 14

runs scored In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls ...

, 21

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...

, four doubles, one

triple Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a " treble": Sports * Triple (baseball), a three-base hit * A basketball three-point field goal * A figure skating jump with three rotations * In bowling terms, three strikes in a row * ...

, and eight

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

(RBIs) in 36

games played Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested. Basebal ...

. The majority of his career was played in the

minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

. He played with the

Richmond Colts The Richmond Colts were a minor league baseball team based in Richmond, Virginia that existed on-and-off from 1894 to 1953. They played in the Virginia League in 1894, and in another Virginia League in 1900, and another Virginia League from 1906 ...

(1911), Newport News Shipbuilders (1912), Roanoke Tigers (1913), Parksley Spuds (1923–24), and Crisfield Crabbers (1925) over his career in the minors. Combined between those teams, Mattis batted .303 with 698 hits in 610 games played. During his career, he stood at and weighed . He batted and threw right-handed. Mattis served as a

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

for one season with the Parksley Spuds (1923).

Early life

Mattis was born on August 24, 1890, in

Roxborough, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Roxborough is a neighborhood in the Northwest section of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is bordered to the southwest, along the Schuylkill River, by the neighborhood of Manayunk, along the northeast by the Wissahickon Creek section ...

, to Benjamin and Anna Mattis of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

and

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

, respectively.1900 United States Census The two had four other children, Frank, Ross, Reed, and Weston. Benjamin Mattis worked as a

butcher A butcher is a person who may Animal slaughter, slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat, or participate within any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat and poultry for sale in retail or wholesal ...

. In 1909, Ralph Mattis joined the Roxborough

semi-professional Semi-professional sports are sports in which athletes are not participating on a full-time basis, but still receive some payment. Semi-professionals are not amateur because they receive regular payment from their team, but generally at a consid ...

baseball team, which were members of the Northern Pennsylvania League.

Early professional baseball career

In 1911, Mattis signed with the

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

of the Class-C

Virginia League The Virginia League was a minor league baseball affiliation which operated in Virginia and North Carolina from 1906 to 1928. It was classified as a "C" league from 1906 to 1919 and as a "B" league from 1920 to 1928. The most famous alumni to c ...

. With the Colts, Mattis played

left field In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...

. On May 9, he hit two

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s in the same

inning In baseball, softball, and similar games, an inning is the basic unit of play, consisting of two halves or frames, the "top" (first half) and the "bottom" (second half). In each half, one team bats until three outs are made, with the other team ...

in a game against the Roanoke Tigers. In August, Richmond sold Mattis to the Washington Senators. According to ''

The Indianapolis Star ''The Indianapolis Star'' (also known as ''IndyStar'') is a morning daily newspaper that began publishing on June 6, 1903, in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It has been the only major daily paper in the city since 1999, when the ''Indianap ...

'', Washington was just one of many

(MLB) teams that was interested in Mattis. On the season with the Colts, he batted .306 with 140

in 124

. He finished sixth in the league in hits that year. Mattis was invited to

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

with the Washington Senators in 1912. Early in spring training, Mattis suffered an injury which caused him miss playing time. The

of the

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

baseball team allowed Mattis to practice with his team while he was recovering from his injury. Before the start of the

regular season In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of Se ...

, Mattis was sent to the Class-C Virginia League by the Senators. He was assigned to the Newport News Shipbuilder, where he batted .249 with 107 hits, 18 doubles, four

triples TripleS (stylized as tripleS; Help:IPA/English, /ˈtɹɪpəl:ɛs/; ) is a South Korean girl group formed by MODHAUS. They aim to be the world's first decentralized K-pop idol group. The members will rotate between the group, sub-unit, and solo ac ...

, and one home run in 118 games played. At the end of the season, ''

The Sheboygan Press ''The Sheboygan Press'' is a daily newspaper based in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, United States. It is one of a number of newspapers in the state of Wisconsin owned by Gannett, including the ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'', ''Green Bay Press-Gazette'' ...

'' called Mattis "the best outfielder in the Virginia League". In 1913, Mattis joined the Class-C Roanoke Tigers of the Virginia League. During mid-season, he was described as one of the best outfielders in the Virginia League by ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

''. He batted .300 with 157 hits, 21 doubles, eight triples, and three home runs in 140 games played. Defensively, he played all of his games in the

outfield The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area. In cricket, baseball and ...

, committing nine errors in 332

total chances In baseball statistics, total chances (TC), also called ''chances offered'', represents the number of plays in which a defensive player has participated. It is the sum of putouts plus assists plus errors. ''Chances accepted'' refers to the total ...

. Mattis led the league in hits that season.

Major League Baseball debut

On February 25, 1914, Mattis signed with the major league

of the newly formed

Federal League The Federal League of Base Ball Clubs, known simply as the Federal League, was an American professional baseball league that played its first season as a minor league in 1913 and operated as a "third major league", in competition with the e ...

. He attended spring training with the Rebels that season in

Lynchburg, Virginia Lynchburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. First settled in 1757 by ferry owner John Lynch (1740–1820), John Lynch, the city's populati ...

. ''

The Pittsburgh Press ''The Pittsburgh Press'' (formerly ''The Pittsburg Press'' and originally ''The Evening Penny Press'') was a major afternoon daily newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1884 to 1992. At one time, the ''Press'' was the second larg ...

'' described Mattis as having "shoulders like an ox" and that it is likely he would be a star player for Pittsburgh. The '' Sporting Life'' predicted that he would develop into one of the best outfielder is the Federal League. He made his MLB debut on April 22, against the

Brooklyn Tip-Tops The Brooklyn Tip-Tops were a team in the short-lived Federal League of professional baseball from 1914 to 1915. The team's name came from Tip Top Bread, a product of Ward Baking Company, which was also owned by team owner Robert Ward. They were so ...

. In his first career MLB

plate appearance In baseball statistics, a player is credited with a plate appearance (denoted by PA) each time he completes a turn batting. Under Rule 5.04(c) of the Official Baseball Rules, a player completes a turn batting when he is put out or becomes a runner ...

during that game, he drew a

walk Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an 'inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults ov ...

. His first hit came that day, as he got a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

, double, and triple in three at-bats. After two months, Mattis was second in the Federal League in batting average with a .406 clip. In June, Mattis received a temporary starting job after the Rebels every-day outfielder Davy Jones suffered an injury. On July 28, Pittsburgh

Rebel Oakes allowed Mattis to join a semi-professional baseball team in

St. Marys, Pennsylvania St. Marys is a city in Elk County, Pennsylvania, Elk County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population is 12,429 as of 2019. Originally a small town inhabited by mostly Bavarian Roman Catholics, it was founded December 8, 1842. It is home to Str ...

. He returned to the Rebels that season on September 11. On the season with Pittsburgh, he batted .247 with 14

, 21 hits, four doubles, one triple, eight

(RBIs), and two

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...

s in 36 games played. Defensively, Mattis made three errors in 43 total chances in the outfield.

First retirement

Mattis reported to spring training with the Pittsburgh Rebels in 1915. He was competing against

Jim Kelly James Edward Kelly (born February 14, 1960) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He also spent two seasons with the Houston Gamblers of the United State ...

, Mike Menosky, Cy Rheam, Jimmie Savage, and

Frank Delahanty Frank George Delahanty (December 29, 1882 in Cleveland, Ohio – July 22, 1966 in Cleveland, Ohio), was a professional baseball player who played outfielder in the Major Leagues from -. He would play for the New York Highlanders, Cleveland Indian ...

for a starting job in the Rebels. The Rebels assigned Mattis to the minor league New Haven White Wings of the

Colonial League The Colonial League is an athletic conference consisting of 14 high schools mostly from the Lehigh Valley portion of eastern Pennsylvania. It is part of District XI of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association. The Colonial League is ...

. However, Mattis retired and never made an appearance with the White Wings in 1915. By 1920, Mattis working as a

truck driver A truck driver (commonly referred to as a trucker, teamster, or driver in the United States and Canada; a truckie in Australia and New Zealand; a HGV driver in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the European Union, a lorry driver, or driver in ...

, and was living in

Haverford Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania Haverford Township is a home rule municipality township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.Parksley Spuds of the

Eastern Shore League The Eastern Shore Baseball League was a class D minor league baseball league that operated on the Delmarva Peninsula for parts of three different decades. The league's first season was in 1922 and the last was in 1949, although the years were no ...

. He served as the Spuds'

player-manager A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. A player-coach may be a head coach or an assistant coach. They may make changes to the sq ...

. During his debut with Parksley on May 27, Mattis forced his team to

forfeit Forfeit or forfeiture may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Forfeit'', a 2007 thriller film starring Billy Burke * "Forfeit", a song by Chevelle from ''Wonder What's Next'' * ''Forfeit/Fortune'', a 2008 album by Crooked Fingers L ...

in the ninth inning, which ''

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...

'' called "unsatisfactory". He finished the season with a .369 batting average, which was third in the league. Mattis also compiled 94 hits, 13 doubles, one triples, and 19 home runs in 65 games played. He finished second amongst league batters in hits, and home runs; third in

slugging percentage In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at bats for a given player, ...

(.651), and

total bases In baseball statistics, total bases is the number of bases a player gains with hits. It is a weighted sum with values of 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run. For example, three singles is three total bases, while ...

(166); and tied for seventh in doubles. Defensively, Mattis played 64 games in the outfield, committing three errors in 133 total chances. Before the start of the 1924 season, Mattis resigned as the manager for the Parksley Spuds, stating that he wanted to devote all of his time to playing. On June 24, in a game against the

Cambridge Canners Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge became ...

, Mattis hit a home run during the bottom of the 12 inning to give the Spuds the 2–to–1 victory. On the season, Mattis batted .322 with 91 hits, eight doubles, two triples, and 14 home runs in 73 games played. He finished fifth in the league in batting average, and home runs; and sixth in hits. During all of his games, he appeared as an outfielder. He primarily played

center field A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the Baseball positions, baseball and softball fielding position between Left fielder, left field and Right fielder, right field. In the numberi ...

that season. Mattis signed with the Class-D Crisfield Crabbers of the Eastern Shore League in 1925. In 90 games played, Mattis batted .311 with 109 hits, 14 doubles, one triple, and 23 home runs. Defensively, he played all of his 90 games in the outfield. He committed four errors in 162 total chances. Mattis finished the season third in the league in home runs, and total bases (194); and fifth in hits, and slugging percentage (.554). That season would later prove to be his final in professional baseball.

Later life

In 1942, Mattis was living in

Radnor Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania Radnor Township, often called simply Radnor, is a first class township with home rule status in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. As of the 2019 United States census estimate, the township population is 31,875. Radnor Township is the largest mun ...

, and working for the

Philadelphia Electric Company Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

. On September 13, 1960, Mattis died in

Williamsport, Pennsylvania Williamsport is a city in, and the county seat of, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States. It recorded a population of 27,754 at the 2020 Census. It is the principal city of the Williamsport Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a popula ...

. He was buried at Valley Forge Gardens in

King of Prussia, Pennsylvania King of Prussia (also referred to as KOP) is a census-designated place in Upper Merion Township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 22,028. The community took its unusual name in the 18th ...

References

General references # # Inline citations

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mattis, Ralph 1890 births 1960 deaths Baseball players from Philadelphia Major League Baseball outfielders Minor league baseball managers Richmond Colts players Roanoke Tigers players Newport News Shipbuilders players Pittsburgh Rebels players Crisfield Crabbers players Semi-professional baseball players Burials in Pennsylvania