Eddie Mathews

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Eddie Mathews

Third Baseman

Born: October 13 1931(1931-10-13)
Died: February 18 2001 (aged 69)
Batted: Left	Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 15, 1952 for the Boston Braves
Final game
September 27, 1968 for the Detroit Tigers
Career statistics
AVG	.271
HR	512
RBI	1453
Teams
As Player Boston / Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves (1952-1966) Houston Astros (1967) Detroit Tigers (1967-1968) As Manager Atlanta Braves (1972-1974)
Career highlights and awards
All Star: 1953, 1955-1962 Led NL in Home Runs in 1953 (47) and 1959 (46) Led NL in At Bats per Home Run in 1953 (12.3), 1959 (12.9) and 1960 (14.1) Led NL in Walks in 1955 (109), 1961 (93), 1962 (101) and 1963 (124) Led NL in Runs Created (128) in 1960 Led NL in Times on Base (270) in 1961 Led NL in On-base percentage (.399) in 1963 Ranks 74th on MLB All-Time Slugging Percentage List (.509) Ranks 79th on MLB All-Time OPS List (.885) Ranks 75th on MLB All-Time Games List (2,391) Ranks 90th on MLB All-Time At Bats List (8,537) Ranks 67th on MLB All-Time Plate Appearances List (10,101) Ranks 60th on MLB All-Time Runs List (1,509) Ranks 46th on MLB All-Time Total Bases List (4,349) Ranks 19th on MLB All-Time Home Runs List (512) Ranks 21st on MLB All-Time Walks List (1,444) Ranks 40th on MLB All-Time Runs Created List (1,716) Ranks 47th on MLB All-Time Extra-Base Hits List (938) Ranks 55th on MLB All-Time Times on Base List (3,785) Ranks 94th on MLB All-Time Intentional Walks List (107) Ranks 40th on MLB All-Time At Bats per Home Run List (16.7)
Member of the National
Image:Empty Star.svg Baseball Hall of Fame Image:Empty Star.svg
Elected	1978
Vote	79.42%

Edwin Lee "Eddie" Mathews (October 13 1931 – February 18 2001) was a Hall of Fame third baseman in Major League Baseball and is widely regarded as one of the greatest third basemen to play the game. (James, Bill (2001). The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract. New York: Free Press, 539. ISBN 0-684-80697-5. )

Born in Texarkana, Texas, Eddie Mathews was six years old when his family moved to Santa Barbara, California where he developed into a star high school player. Signed by the Boston Braves in 1949, he continued to shine in their farm system as a left-handed hitting third baseman who hit towering home runs.

Brought up to the major leagues in 1952, Eddie Mathews hit 25 home runs, including three in one game, breaking the record for rookies. In 1953 the Braves moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he batted .302, hit 47 home runs, and drove in 135 runs. For nine straight seasons he hit at least 30 home runs, including leading the National League twice (1953, 1959).

As one of 1954's superstars in American sports, Mathews was chosen for the cover of the first-ever issue of Sports Illustrated magazine. Around this time, Hall of Famer Ty Cobb said of Mathews: "I've only known three or four perfect swings in my time. This lad has one of them."

Mathews was a powerful pull-hitter, and for many years of his career teams would implement the "Mathews shift" when he came to bat. The second baseman would shift well to his left, toward first base, and the shortstop would come to the second base side of the bag, leaving a gaping hole between second and third base. Mathews delighted in occasionally punching the ball through that hole.

The Braves won the 1957 National League championship. In the World Series Mathews hit a game-winning home run in the tenth inning of game four. The Braves went on to defeat the New York Yankees to win the World Series.

Mathews was traded to the Houston Astros before the 1967 season. That year, he became only the seventh player to hit 500 career home runs, becoming a member of the 500 home run club. During the 1968 season, Mathews was traded from the Astros to the Detroit Tigers. In that year's World Series, he made his final appearances in two post-season games as the Tigers triumphed over the St. Louis Cardinals. Upon his retirement, he was seventh in all-time home runs with 512. Over his seventeen-year major league career, he was named to the All-Star team nine times, played in three World Series, and drove in 100 or more runs five times.

Between 1954 and 1966 he and Braves teammate Hank Aaron hit 863 home runs (Aaron 442, Mathews 421), moving ahead of the Yankees duo of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig as the all-time leaders in major league history.

He managed the Atlanta Braves from 1972 to 1974. He was the manager when Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run.

In 1978 Eddie Mathews was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame and today still ranks second all-time among third basemen in home runs, RBI, slugging percentage and total bases.

In 1999, he ranked Number 63 on The Sporting News list of Baseball's Greatest Players, and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.

In poor health during his final years, Mathews died from complications of pneumonia at age 69 in La Jolla, California. In 2001, the year of Mathews' death, the Braves honored his memory with the placement of patches bearing his retired uniform number, 41, on their jerseys.

[edit] Trivia

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He is the only player to play for the Braves in Boston, Milwaukee, and Atlanta.
He is also one of the few players to play, coach, and manage for the same baseball team.
Mathews appeared on the cover of the first issue of Sports Illustrated, dated August 16, 1954.
While a member of the Houston Astros, Mathews hit his 500th home run on July 14, 1967, off future Hall of Fame pitcher Juan Marichal of the San Francisco Giants.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
baseballhalloffame.org – Hall of Fame biography page

Accomplishments

Preceded by Ralph Kiner & Hank Sauer Ernie Banks	National League Home Run Champion 1953 1959	Succeeded by Ted Kluszewski Ernie Banks
Preceded by Vern Law & Willie McCovey	Major League Player of the Month September 1959	Succeeded by Roberto Clemente
Preceded by Lum Harris	Atlanta Braves managers 1972-1974	Succeeded by Clyde King

v • d • e 500 home run club
Bonds \| Aaron \| Ruth \| Mays \| Sosa \| Griffey \| Robinson \| McGwire \| Killebrew \| Palmeiro \| Jackson \| Schmidt \| Mantle \| Foxx \| McCovey \| Williams \| Rodriguez \| Thomas \| Banks \| Mathews \| Ott \| Thome \| Murray Italics denotes active player

v • d • e

Atlanta Braves managers

Boston Red Stockings (1871-1882)
Wright • Morrill

Boston Beaneaters (1883-1906)
Burdock • Morrill • Kelly • Morrill • Hart • Selee • Buckenberger • Tenney

Boston Doves (1907-1910)
Tenney • Kelley • Smith • Bowerman • Lake

Boston Rustlers (1911)
Tenney

Boston Braves (1912-1935)
Kling • Stallings • Mitchell • Bancroft • Slattery • Hornsby • Fuchs • McKechnie

Boston Bees (1936-1940)
McKechnie • Stengel

Boston Braves (1941-1952)
Stengel • Coleman • Bissonette • Southworth • Cooney • Southworth • Holmes • Grimm

Milwaukee Braves (1953-1965)
Grimm • Haney • Dressen • Tebbetts • Bragan

Atlanta Braves (1966–present)
Bragan • Hitchcock • Silvestri • Harris • Mathews • King • Ryan • Bristol • Turner • Bristol • Cox • Torre • Haas • Wine • Tanner • Nixon • Cox

v • d • e Atlanta Braves
(Formerly the Boston Braves and the Milwaukee Braves)
Atlanta, Georgia
The Franchise	Records • Seasons • Managers • Broadcasters
Ballparks	South End Grounds • Congress Street Grounds • South End Grounds • Fenway Park • Braves Field • Milwaukee County Stadium • Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium • Turner Field
Culture	Chief Noc-A-Homa • Homer • Rally • Tomahawk Buzzcut • Tomahawk Chop
Rivalries	Braves-Mets rivalry
Important Figures	Hank Aaron • Bobby Cox • Tom Glavine • Greg Maddux • Eddie Mathews • Leo Mazzone • Dale Murphy • Phil Niekro • Johnny Sain • John Smoltz • Warren Spahn • Ted Turner
Retired Numbers	3 • 21 • 35 • 41 • 42 • 44
Key Personnel	Owner: John C. Malone (Liberty Media) • General Manager: Frank Wren • Club President: John Schuerholz • Manager: Bobby Cox
World Series Championships (3)	1914 • 1957 • 1995
National League Championships (17)	1877 • 1878 • 1883 • 1891 • 1892 • 1893 • 1897 • 1898 • 1914 • 1948 • 1957 • 1958 • 1991 • 1992 • 1995 • 1996 • 1999
National Association Championships (4)	1872 • 1873 • 1874 • 1875
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Minor League Affiliates	Richmond Braves (AAA-IL) • Mississippi Braves (AA-SL) • Myrtle Beach Pelicans (A-CarL) • Rome Braves (A-SAL) • Gulf Coast Braves (Rookies-GCL) • Danville Braves (Rookie-AppL)
Other Assets	SportSouth • TBS