Eddie Mathews

Eddie Mathews
Eddie Mathews in 1963
Third baseman / Manager
Born: (1931-10-13)October 13, 1931
Texarkana, Texas, U.S.
Died: February 18, 2001(2001-02-18) (aged 69)
La Jolla, California, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 15, 1952, for the Boston Braves
Last MLB appearance
September 27, 1968, for the Detroit Tigers
MLB statistics
Batting average.271
Hits2,315
Home runs512
Runs batted in1,453
Managerial record149–161
Winning %.481
Teams
As player

As manager

As coach

Career highlights and awards
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction1978
Vote79.4% (fifth ballot)

Edwin Lee Mathews (October 13, 1931 – February 18, 2001) was an American professional baseball third baseman.[1] He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 17 seasons for the Boston / Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves (1952–1966); Houston Astros (1967) and Detroit Tigers (1967–68).[1] Inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1978,[2] he is the only player to have represented the Braves in the three cities they have called home.[2] He played 1,944 games for the Braves during their 13-season tenure in Milwaukee—the prime of Mathews' career.

Mathews is regarded as one of the best third basemen ever to play the game.[3][4] He was an All-Star for nine seasons.[5] 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.[6] Later, he was a scout and coach for the Texas Rangers, Milwaukee Brewers, and Oakland Athletics.[6]

  1. ^ a b "Eddie Mathews statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2011.
  2. ^ a b "Eddie Mathews at the Baseball Hall of Fame". baseballhall.org. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
  3. ^ James, Bill (2001). The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract. New York: Free Press. pp. 539. ISBN 0-684-80697-5.
  4. ^ "Eddie Mathews at the Baseball Hall of Fame". baseballhall.org. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
  5. ^ MLB held two All-Star Games from 1959 through 1962.
  6. ^ a b Fleitz, David. "Eddie Mathews". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved October 17, 2024.