38 Facts About Mike Matheny

Michael Scott Matheny was born on September 22,1970 and is an American former professional baseball player and former manager of the St Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball.

Mike Matheny played in MLB for 13 seasons as a catcher for the Milwaukee Brewers, Toronto Blue Jays, St Louis Cardinals, and San Francisco Giants.

Mike Matheny later spent seven seasons as the manager of the Cardinals.

From Reynoldsburg, Ohio, Mike Matheny was selected by the Brewers in the eighth round of the 1991 MLB draft from the University of Michigan.

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

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Mike Matheny established major league records among catchers for consecutive games played without committing an error, and consecutive chances fielded without an error.

Mike Matheny is one of three catchers in major league history with an errorless season of at least 100 games, and in 2005, set a Giants single-season team record for catcher's fielding percentage at.

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

Mike Matheny retired from playing in 2006 due to persisting symptoms of concussion, and has since become an advocate for its prevention and for improved catcher safety.

Mike Matheny became the first manager in MLB history to lead his team to the playoffs in each of his first four seasons, and the fifth to a League Championship Series appearance in each of his first three.

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

Mike Matheny received little attention from nearby Ohio State University, but accepted a scholarship offered by University of Michigan coach Bud Middaugh.

However, Mike Matheny was convinced that he would not be a very good professional player at that point, so he chose to attend college instead.

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

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.

Mike Matheny barely made the Cardinals roster after the spring training session, but went on to earn the starting catcher's role in the 2000 season.

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.

Bolstering his growing reputation as a top defensive catcher, Mike Matheny again won Gold Gloves with the Cardinals in 2003 and 2004.

Between August 1,2002, and August 4,2004, Mike Matheny played in 252 games without committing an error, establishing a new Major League record for catchers.

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

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.

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

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

Mike Matheny landed on the disabled list on May 31,2006, after a series of foul balls caromed off his mask, resulting in a serious concussion.

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

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Shortly thereafter, Mike Matheny became a baseball mentor for Protege Sports and filming some catching tips and drills for the Scottsdale-based company.

Mike Matheny twice led National League catchers in base-runners caught stealing.

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.

The Boston Red Sox defeated the Cardinals in the World Series in six games, with many similarities to 2004, when Mike Matheny was a key member of the team —the Cardinals finished with the best record in the NL, and the Red Sox likewise defeated the Cardinals in the World Series.

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

On May 1,2018, Mike Matheny became the fourth person, after Red Schoendienst, Whitey Herzog, and Tony La Russa, to manage 1,000 Cardinals games.

On October 31,2019, Mike Matheny was hired as manager of the Kansas City Royals after the retirement of Ned Yost.

Mike Matheny's wife, Kristen, is a former field hockey player at the University of Michigan.

Mike Matheny majored in sports management and communications with an emphasis in Spanish.

Mike Matheny is a devout Christian, often including Bible verse citations when he signs autographs.

Mike Matheny organized and created Catch-22, a charitable organization which donated tickets for Cardinals games between 2002 and 2004.

In 2005, Mike Matheny opened the Catch-22 Miracle Field at the Chesterfield Valley Athletic complex in Chesterfield, Missouri.

In 2005, Mike Matheny founded MPD Partnership with two former professional indoor soccer players, Daryl Doran and Brett Phillips.