Who was the first player to be posthumously elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame?

Legendary pitcher Christy Mathewson was the first player inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. after being elected posthumously in 1936 as one of the original class of five players.

The other four players were Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner and Walter Johnson.

Four of the “First Five” were on hand for the official induction ceremony, which took place on June 12, 1939, in Cooperstown. Cobb, Johnson, Ruth and Wagner were enshrined along with 21 others who were elected between 1937 and 1939. Mathewson was the only one not there after he passed away in 1925.

Players were elected to the Hall of Fame in 1936, 1937 and 1938, but the first official induction ceremony was not until 1939.

Mathewson was considered one of the most dominant pitchers of his era from 1900 to 1916 primarily with the New York Giants. He played part of the 1916 season in Cincinnati. If you count players from the 19th Century, Mathewson is the only player to appear among the top 10 in both wins (373) and earned run average (2.13). He threw three complete-game shutouts in the 1905 World Series against the Philadelphia Athletics.

Mathewson was admired because he would not pitch on Sundays due to his Christian beliefs. In 1918, Mathewson joined the Army during World War I serving in the Chemical Warfare Service. He was accidentally gassed during training that led to respiratory problems. He contracted tuberculosis and died in 1925. He was 45.