With the exception of Roger Clemens, Bobby Matthews has the most Wins of any player who is not in the Baseball Hall of Fame. One of the main differences is that unlike Clemens, Matthews has never received Hall of Fame consideration once.
Matthews' pro career began in 1871, where he played in the National Association and the pro ball's dawn. Over the next few seasons, he bounced around in the infant league for teams like the Fort Wayne Kekiongas, Baltimore Canaries, and the New York Mutuals, and the 5' 5" Pitcher did well with three straight (1872-74) years where he led his league in Strikeouts.
The Mutuals would join the National League, and Matthews joined Cincinnati after the Mutuals folded. From 1887 to 1891, he slumped and bounced around from league to league, major to minor. In 1892, he had a comeback season with the Boston Red Stockings, where he led the league in FIP (2.15), BB/9 (0.7), SO/9 (4.8), and SO/BB (6.95).
Matthews joined the Philadelphia Athletics in 1883, where he had an even 30 Wins in the next three seasons. He had another first-place finish in BB/9 (1883), one more in FIP (2.17 in 1885), and twice in SO/BB (1883 & 1885).
He retired after 1887, with the aforementioned 297 Wins with an ERA of 2.86.
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