Eddie Mathews

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Mathews is regarded as one of the best third basemen ever to play the game. He was an All-Star for nine seasons. He won the National League (NL) home run title in 1953 and 1959 and was the NL Most Valuable Player runner-up both of those seasons. He hit 512 home runs during his major league career. Mathews coached for the Atlanta Braves in 1971, and he was the team's manager from 1972 to 1974. Later, he was a scout and coach for the Texas Rangers, Milwaukee Brewers, and Oakland Athletics.

In Their Own Story

The 1957 World Series stands as a defining moment in Mathews' career. The Braves defeated the New York Yankees in seven games, with Mathews hitting a game-winning home run in the tenth inning of Game four. He also made the final out of that Series, forcing Gil McDougald on a grounder hit by Moose Skowron. In 1967, after spending his entire adult life with the Braves franchise, he was traded to the Houston Astros and then to the Detroit Tigers during a pennant race. In 1968, his final season, Mathews appeared as a pinch-hitter in Game one of the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals before playing his last game at third base in Game four, logging a hit and a walk in the loss. The Tigers went on to win the series in seven games, securing Mathews' second ring.

Reader's Guide

Mathews was born in Texarkana, Texas. He was six years old when his family moved to Santa Barbara, California. The Santa Barbara High School baseball field, where he developed into a star high school baseball player, is named after him. Mathews was signed by the Boston Braves in 1949. He played 63 games that year for the Class D High Point-Thomasville Hi-Toms, where he hit 17 home runs and earned a .363 batting average. The next year he hit 32 home runs for the Class AA Atlanta Crackers. After splitting 1951 between the Crackers and Triple-A Milwaukee Brewers, Mathews made the Braves' major league roster out of spring training in 1952. He hit 25 home runs, including three in one game versus Brooklyn on September 27. In 1953, the Braves moved to Milwaukee where he batted .302 and posted career highs of 47 home runs and 135 RBIs. 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, 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. 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 in seven games. Mathews made the final out of the Series, a forceout of Gil McDougald on Moose Skowron's hard-hit grounder. Mathews was regarded as one of the strongest power hitters of his time, often being compared to American League contemporary Mickey Mantle, in terms of power hitting strength. Hall of Fame teammate Warren Spahn once said of the two: 'Mathews is just as strong as Mantle. They don't hit the same – Mantle gets all of his weight into his swing; Mathews uses his wrists more.' Spahn's comment on Mathews's use of his wrists was in reference to his unique swing, as believed by many to be one of the more graceful swings in baseball history. Pitche

Did You Know?

• Mathews and Hank Aaron are the only players to have represented the Braves in all three of the cities they have called home.
• He was chosen for the cover of the first-ever issue of Sports Illustrated magazine in 1954.
• Mathews hit 512 home runs during his major league career, and was the seventh player to reach 500 home runs.
• He was fired as Braves manager on July 6, 1974, so Clyde King was the manager when Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run on April 8, 1974.