Gary Matthews

Lore & Background

Matthews was selected in the first round of the June 1968 draft by the San Francisco Giants. He won the National League Rookie of the Year award in 1973. He played for the San Francisco Giants (1972–76), Atlanta Braves (1977–80), Philadelphia Phillies (1981–83), Chicago Cubs (1984–87) and Seattle Mariners (1987). He batted .281 with 234 home runs and 978 RBIs in 2,033 games. He was the MVP of the 1983 NLCS. He is the father of former big league outfielder Gary Matthews Jr.

In Their Own Story

The August sun hung low over the Coliseum, painting the outfield grass in long amber shadows. The count was two and one, and the pitcher's curveball was just inside. Matthews didn't swing. The next pitch sat over the middle, and he turned on it cleanly, the ball skipping off the short side of the bat and blooming into the gap between left and center. He was already running, the green pinstripes catching the last of the daylight. Out in the outfield, the center fielder—himself, in a different life, in a different season—had already read the trajectory, his feet churning the dirt of the warning track. He met the ball at the deepest point of the grass, the leather snapping shut, and the throw arced back to second like it had been drawn with a compass. The runner slid in a step late. The umpire's fist went up. In the stands, a handful of fans who had followed the A's through the lean years clapped once, not quite knowing the name on the back of the jersey, but recognizing the play for what it was: the kind of quiet, unglamorous excellence that built a team from the ground up.

Reader's Guide

After retiring as a player, Matthews worked in private industry and broadcasting before joining the Cubs' organization in 1995 as minor league hitting coordinator. He later served as hitting coach for Toronto, Milwaukee, and the Cubs. He was a color analyst for the Philadelphia Phillies from 2007 to 2013.

Did You Know?

• Matthews signed a five‐year, $1,875,000 contract with the Braves on November 17, 1976, which led to a suspension of Braves owner Ted Turner.
• He homered 7 times in 19 playoff games and was voted MVP of the 1983 NLCS.
• Matthews and his son Gary Jr. are one of seven father/son combinations in Cubs history.