After taking a 96mph fastball in the face and playing the next day, Mike Matheny earned the nickname, "The Toughest Man Alive." His impressive run in the Major Leagues led many to consider him one of the greatest defensive players over the last years of his thirteen-year career (Milwaukee Brewers, Toronto Blue Jays, St. Louis Cardinals, and the San Francisco Giants), one of only three catchers to play 100 games without a single error, and a winner of four Gold Glove Awards.
He went on to become one of the youngest managers in the major leagues and the first in MLB history to lead his team to the playoffs in each of his first four seasons, all without any previous manager experience. He led the Cardinals to an NL Pennant win (2013), three Division Titles (2013, 2014, 2015), and also managed the 2014 NL All-Star team and finished 2nd in NL Manager of the Year in 2015 before becoming the manager of the Kansas City Royals in 2019.
In this episode of the Unlocking Significance Podcast, he'll explain that what makes him "tougher than you" through his understanding of the importance of servant leadership.