21 Facts About Mike Matheny

1. Mike Matheny was born in Columbus on a Sunday, September 20, 1970.

2. Mike Matheny took home the Willie Mac Award that year, accorded annually to a San Francisco Giant for spirit and leadership.

3. Mike Matheny became a free agent after the 2004 World Series, primarily due to the emergence of rookie catcher Yadier Molina, with whom he would eventually be reunited.

4. Mike Matheny made his major league debut with the Brewers on April 7, 1994 at the age of 23; he became their starting catcher early in the next season.

5. Mike Matheny was a member of the 1989 Connie Mack championship team.

6. Mike Matheny graduated from Reynoldsburg High School, where he captained the baseball and football teams.

7. Mike Matheny made his MLB debut as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers on April 7, 1994.

8. Mike Matheny is currently a special adviser for player development for the Kansas City Royals.

9. In 2005, Mike Matheny opened a "Catch 22" field at the Chesterfield Valley Athletic complex in Chesterfield, Missouri.

10. Mike Matheny organized and created the Catch-22 charity which donated tickets for Cardinals games between 2002 and 2004.

11. Mike Matheny was fired by the Cardinals on July 14, 2018.

12. Mike Matheny joined Red Schoendienst, Whitey Herzog, and Tony La Russa as the only managers to pilot the franchise for at least 1,000 games.

13. Mike Matheny reached the 1,000th game of his career as manager on May 1, 2018.

14. Mike Matheny became the first manager in MLB history to guide his club to the postseason in each of his first four full seasons.

15. On January 24, 2008, Mike Matheny returned to the St Louis Cardinals organization as a special adviser for the first two weeks of spring training.

16. On February 1, 2007, Mike Matheny announced his retirement from Major League Baseball at the age of 35 due to on-going symptoms of post-concussion syndrome.

17. Mike Matheny signed a three-year contract with the San Francisco Giants on December 13, 2004.

18. Mike Matheny set another Major League record for catchers in 2004 by fielding 1,565 consecutive chances without an error.

19. Mike Matheny helped the Cardinals improve from their fourth-place finish in 1999 to capturing the National League Central Division title, and claimed his first Gold Glove award in the process.

20. The Blue Jays called Mike Matheny frequently until the morning of his first class, hoping he would sign.

21. Mike Matheny has made two World Series appearances—both with the Cardinals—one as a player, and one as a manager (2013).