Eddie Mathews was born on Tuesday, October 13, 1931, in Texarkana, Texas. Mathews was 20 years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 15, 1952, with the Boston Braves. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Eddie Mathews baseball stats page.
"She (his mother) used to pitch to me and my dad would shag and as I got older every time I hit a ball back through the middle, close to my mother I got an additional chore to do, so my mother was instrumental in making me a pull hitter." - Mathews, Eddie. Hall of Fame Induction Day Speech. Cooperstown, New York. 7 August 1978. [Eddie Mathews Quotes]
Eddie Mathews![]() Eddie Mathews Autograph on a 1993 Topps Archive Baseball Card (#67) |
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Eddie MathewsEddie Mathews Pitching Stats |
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| Year | Age | Team | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD |
| - | - | Did Not Pitch | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Career | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD | ||
Eddie MathewsEddie Mathews Hitting Stats |
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| Year | Age | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| 1952 | 21 | Braves | 145 | 528 | 80 | 128 | 23 | 5 | 25 | 0 | 58 | 59 | 3 | 115 | 5 | - | 1 | 9 | .242 | .320 | .447 |
| 1953 | 22 | Braves | 157 | 579 | 110 | 175 | 31 | 8 | 47 | 2 | 135 | 99 | 15 | 83 | 1 | - | 2 | 6 | .302 | .406 | .627 |
| 1954 | 23 | Braves | 138 | 476 | 96 | 138 | 21 | 4 | 40 | 2 | 103 | 113 | 15 | 61 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 9 | .290 | .423 | .603 |
| 1955 | 24 | Braves | 141 | 499 | 108 | 144 | 23 | 5 | 41 | 0 | 101 | 109 | 20 | 98 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 5 | .289 | .413 | .601 |
| 1956 | 25 | Braves | 151 | 552 | 103 | 150 | 21 | 2 | 37 | 0 | 95 | 91 | 17 | 86 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 4 | .272 | .373 | .518 |
| 1957 | 26 | Braves | 148 | 572 | 109 | 167 | 28 | 9 | 32 | 0 | 94 | 90 | 5 | 79 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | .292 | .387 | .540 |
| 1958 | 27 | Braves | 149 | 546 | 97 | 137 | 18 | 1 | 31 | 0 | 77 | 85 | 5 | 85 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 9 | .251 | .349 | .458 |
| 1959 | 28 | Braves | 148 | 594 | 118 | 182 | 16 | 8 | 46 | 1 | 114 | 80 | 2 | 71 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 6 | .306 | .390 | .593 |
| 1960 | 29 | Braves | 153 | 548 | 108 | 152 | 19 | 7 | 39 | 0 | 124 | 111 | 3 | 113 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 8 | .277 | .397 | .551 |
| 1961 | 30 | Braves | 152 | 572 | 103 | 175 | 23 | 6 | 32 | 0 | 91 | 93 | 3 | 95 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 10 | .306 | .402 | .535 |
| 1962 | 31 | Braves | 152 | 536 | 106 | 142 | 25 | 6 | 29 | 1 | 90 | 101 | 7 | 90 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 11 | .265 | .381 | .496 |
| 1963 | 32 | Braves | 158 | 547 | 82 | 144 | 27 | 4 | 23 | 0 | 84 | 124 | 14 | 119 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 9 | .263 | .399 | .453 |
| 1964 | 33 | Braves | 141 | 502 | 83 | 117 | 19 | 1 | 23 | 0 | 74 | 85 | 5 | 100 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 8 | .233 | .344 | .412 |
| 1965 | 34 | Braves | 156 | 546 | 77 | 137 | 23 | 0 | 32 | 1 | 95 | 73 | 7 | 110 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 11 | .251 | .341 | .469 |
| 1966 | 35 | Braves | 134 | 452 | 72 | 113 | 21 | 4 | 16 | 1 | 53 | 63 | 6 | 82 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | .250 | .341 | .420 |
| 1967 | 36 | Astros | 101 | 328 | 39 | 78 | 13 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 38 | 48 | 12 | 65 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 5 | .238 | .333 | .381 |
| 1967 | 36 | Tigers | 36 | 108 | 14 | 25 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 19 | 15 | 0 | 23 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | .231 | .331 | .426 |
| 1968 | 37 | Tigers | 31 | 52 | 4 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .212 | .281 | .385 |
| Career | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG | ||
| 17 Years | 2,391 | 8,537 | 1,509 | 2,315 | 354 | 72 | 512 | 8 | 1,453 | 1,444 | 140 | 1,487 | 36 | 58 | 26 | 123 | .271 | .376 | .509 | ||
Eddie MathewsEddie Mathews Fielding Stats |
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| Team | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
| 1952 Braves | 3B | 142 | 142 | 3,807 | 438 | 3.1 | 419 | 160 | 259 | 19 | 21 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .957 | 2.97 |
| 1953 Braves | 3B | 157 | 157 | 456 | 495 | 3.2 | 465 | 154 | 311 | 30 | 33 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .939 | 27.53 |
| 1954 Braves | 3B | 127 | 126 | 3,351 | 379 | 3.0 | 366 | 112 | 254 | 13 | 28 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .966 | 2.95 |
| 1954 Braves | LF | 10 | 10 | 270 | 23 | 2.3 | 21 | 21 | 0 | 2 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .913 | 2.10 |
| 1955 Braves | 3B | 137 | 137 | 3,696 | 441 | 3.2 | 420 | 140 | 280 | 21 | 23 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .952 | 3.07 |
| 1956 Braves | 3B | 150 | 149 | 4,293 | 445 | 3.0 | 420 | 133 | 287 | 25 | 22 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .944 | 2.64 |
| 1957 Braves | 3B | 147 | 147 | 39 | 446 | 3.0 | 430 | 131 | 299 | 16 | 27 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .964 | 297.69 |
| 1958 Braves | 3B | 149 | 149 | 432 | 489 | 3.3 | 467 | 116 | 351 | 22 | 24 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .955 | 29.19 |
| 1959 Braves | 3B | 148 | 148 | 3,945 | 467 | 3.2 | 449 | 144 | 305 | 18 | 21 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .961 | 3.07 |
| 1960 Braves | 3B | 153 | 153 | 147 | 443 | 2.9 | 421 | 141 | 280 | 22 | 23 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .950 | 77.33 |
| 1961 Braves | 3B | 151 | 151 | 4,020 | 467 | 3.1 | 449 | 168 | 281 | 18 | 30 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .961 | 3.02 |
| 1962 Braves | 1B | 7 | 7 | 177 | 69 | 9.9 | 69 | 67 | 2 | 0 | 7 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 10.53 |
| 1962 Braves | 3B | 140 | 140 | 3,669 | 440 | 3.1 | 424 | 141 | 283 | 16 | 22 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .964 | 3.12 |
| 1963 Braves | 3B | 121 | 115 | 3,144 | 402 | 3.3 | 389 | 113 | 276 | 13 | 23 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .968 | 3.34 |
| 1963 Braves | LF | 42 | 42 | 963 | 70 | 1.7 | 64 | 63 | 1 | 6 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .914 | 1.79 |
| 1964 Braves | 1B | 7 | 7 | 165 | 61 | 8.7 | 59 | 54 | 5 | 2 | 4 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .967 | 9.65 |
| 1964 Braves | 3B | 128 | 123 | 3,234 | 392 | 3.1 | 377 | 130 | 247 | 15 | 19 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .962 | 3.15 |
| 1965 Braves | 3B | 153 | 146 | 3,864 | 433 | 2.8 | 414 | 113 | 301 | 19 | 19 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .956 | 2.89 |
| 1966 Braves | 3B | 127 | 115 | 3,069 | 371 | 2.9 | 351 | 114 | 237 | 20 | 31 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .946 | 3.09 |
| 1967 Astros | 1B | 79 | 68 | 1,806 | 620 | 7.8 | 612 | 572 | 40 | 8 | 50 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .987 | 9.15 |
| 1967 Astros | 3B | 24 | 20 | 534 | 58 | 2.4 | 55 | 22 | 33 | 3 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .948 | 2.78 |
| 1967 Tigers | 1B | 13 | 12 | 297 | 119 | 9.2 | 118 | 106 | 12 | 1 | 9 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .992 | 10.73 |
| 1967 Tigers | 3B | 21 | 19 | 462 | 45 | 2.1 | 42 | 14 | 28 | 3 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .933 | 2.45 |
| 1968 Tigers | 1B | 6 | 6 | 132 | 38 | 6.3 | 37 | 34 | 3 | 1 | 5 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .974 | 7.57 |
| 1968 Tigers | 3B | 6 | 5 | 99 | 13 | 2.2 | 13 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 3.55 |
| Career | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
| 3B Totals | 2,181 | 2,142 | 42,261 | 6,664 | 3.1 | 6,371 | 2,049 | 4,322 | 293 | 369 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .956 | 4.07 | |
| 1B Totals | 112 | 100 | 2,577 | 907 | 8.1 | 895 | 833 | 62 | 12 | 75 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .987 | 9.38 | |
| LF Totals | 52 | 52 | 1,233 | 93 | 1.8 | 85 | 84 | 1 | 8 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .914 | 1.86 | |
| 17 Years | 2,345 | 2,294 | 46,071 | 7,664 | 3.3 | 7,351 | 2,966 | 4,385 | 313 | 444 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .959 | 4.31 | |
Eddie MathewsEddie Mathews Miscellaneous Stats |
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| Baserunning Statistics | Other Positions | Common Hitting Ratios | Common Pitching Ratios | |||||||||
| Team | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
| 1952 Braves | 6 | 4 | .600 | 3 | 0 | n/a | 21.1 | 4.6 | 9.1 | - | - | - |
| 1953 Braves | 1 | 3 | .250 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 12.3 | 7.0 | 4.3 | - | - | - |
| 1954 Braves | 10 | 3 | .769 | 2 | 0 | n/a | 11.9 | 7.8 | 4.6 | - | - | - |
| 1955 Braves | 3 | 4 | .429 | 4 | 0 | n/a | 12.2 | 5.1 | 4.9 | - | - | - |
| 1956 Braves | 6 | 0 | 1.000 | 2 | 0 | n/a | 14.9 | 6.4 | 5.8 | - | - | - |
| 1957 Braves | 3 | 1 | .750 | 1 | 0 | n/a | 17.9 | 7.2 | 6.1 | - | - | - |
| 1958 Braves | 5 | 0 | 1.000 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 17.6 | 6.4 | 7.1 | - | - | - |
| 1959 Braves | 2 | 1 | .667 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 12.9 | 8.4 | 5.2 | - | - | - |
| 1960 Braves | 7 | 3 | .700 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 14.1 | 4.8 | 4.4 | - | - | - |
| 1961 Braves | 12 | 7 | .632 | 1 | 0 | n/a | 17.9 | 6.0 | 6.3 | - | - | - |
| 1962 Braves | 4 | 2 | .667 | 4 | 1 | n/a | 18.5 | 6.0 | 6.0 | - | - | - |
| 1963 Braves | 3 | 4 | .429 | 1 | 0 | n/a | 23.8 | 4.6 | 6.5 | - | - | - |
| 1964 Braves | 2 | 2 | .500 | 10 | 0 | n/a | 21.8 | 5.0 | 6.8 | - | - | - |
| 1965 Braves | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 9 | 0 | n/a | 17.1 | 5.0 | 5.7 | - | - | - |
| 1966 Braves | 1 | 1 | .500 | 16 | 0 | n/a | 28.3 | 5.5 | 8.5 | - | - | - |
| 1967 Astros | 2 | 4 | .333 | 13 | 0 | n/a | 32.8 | 5.0 | 8.6 | - | - | - |
| 1967 Tigers | 0 | 0 | .000 | 5 | 0 | n/a | 18.0 | 4.7 | 5.7 | - | - | - |
| 1968 Tigers | 0 | 0 | .000 | 20 | 0 | n/a | 17.3 | 4.3 | 6.5 | - | - | - |
| Career | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
| 17 Years | 68 | 39 | .636 | 91 | 1 | n/a | 16.7 | 5.7 | 5.9 | - | - | - |
Eddie MathewsEddie Mathews Miscellaneous Items of Interest |
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| Team | Roster | Uniform Numbers | Salary | All-Star | World Series |
| 1952 Boston Braves | 41 | $6,000.00 | - | - |
| 1953 Milwaukee Braves | 41 | $10,000.00 | Stats | - |
| 1954 Milwaukee Braves | 41 | $35,000.00 | - | - |
| 1955 Milwaukee Braves | 41 | $50,000.00 | Stats | - |
| 1956 Milwaukee Braves | 41 | $50,000.00 | Stats | - |
| 1957 Milwaukee Braves | 41 | $50,000.00 | Stats | Stats |
| 1958 Milwaukee Braves | 41 | $55,000.00 | Stats | Stats |
| 1959 Milwaukee Braves | 41 | $50,000.00 | Stats | - |
| 1960 Milwaukee Braves | 41 | $65,000.00 | Stats | - |
| 1961 Milwaukee Braves | 41 | $67,500.00 | Stats | - |
| 1962 Milwaukee Braves | 41 | $65,000.00 | Stats | - |
| 1963 Milwaukee Braves | 41 | $62,500.00 | - | - |
| 1964 Milwaukee Braves | 41 | $57,500.00 | - | - |
| 1965 Milwaukee Braves | 41 | $55,000.00 | - | - |
| 1966 Atlanta Braves | 41 | $57,500.00 | - | - |
| 1967 Houston Astros | 11 | " " | - | - |
| 1967 Detroit Tigers | 7 | $57,500.00 | - | - |
| 1968 Detroit Tigers | 7 | $75,000.00 | - | Stats |
| Eddie Mathews Stats by Baseball Almanac | ||||

Edwin Lee Mathews was a Major League Baseball player with the Boston Braves (1952), Milwaukee Braves (1953-1965), Atlanta Braves (1966), Houston Astros (1967), and Detroit Tigers (1967-1968). Did you know that Eddie, his nickname, was the only person in Major League Baseball history to be a player on the Braves roster when they were in Boston, Milwaukee, and Atlanta?

Eddie Mathews Rookie Card | 1952 Topps Baseball Card (#407 | Checklist)
Baseball Almanac Research Library
In 1953, Eddie Mathews hit 47 home runs, the most in a single season by a third baseman, and a feat mentioned on his Hall of Fame plaque (below). The record stood for thirty-three years, until Mike Schmidt hit 48 at the hot corner in 1980 — a mark tied once by Adrian Beltre in 2004, and broken in the American League by Alex Rodriguez, who had 52 in 2007. Please join Baseball Almanac as we take a look at more numbers of interest as they relate to one of the greatest third baseman in baseball history:
3 - Eddie Mathews hit three home runs in a game on September 27, 1952 — the first rookie in Braves history to record a three-homer game.
4 - Eddie Mathews was the first Braves player to hit 40-or-more home runs in a single season, first eclipsing the plateau in 1953, a feat he duplicated four times during his career (1954, 1955, 1959). Hank Aaron tied Cap'N Eddie after reaching the plateau in 1957, 1960, 1962, and 1963, then set the current franchise record in 1966, his fifth, and padded the mark in 1969, 1971 and 1973 (eight total instances). Since Hammerin' Hank & Mathews, only one Brave has done it more than once. Do you know who it was? [Answer]
41 - Eddie Mathews wore uniform number #41 with the Braves, the second player in franchise history to use the number, behind Chet Clemens. When Cap'n Eddie hung up his cleats in 1968, the team did not re-issue the number and in 2001, they officially retired it, making Mathews the last Braves player who will ever wear #41.
63 - Eddie Mathews was ranked sixty-third by The Sporting News when they released their list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players in the history of baseball.
512 - Eddie Mathews was the seventh player in baseball history to enter the 500 Home Runs Club, finishing his career with 512 homers (sixth most in Major League history at that time). On July 14, 1967, Mathews hit his historic 500th homer off Juan Marichal, the first (and to date only) member of the 500 Home Runs Club to join via a Hall of Fame pitcher.

Baseball Almanac Audio Moment | Hear The Game
Eddie Mathews 500th Home Run. 14 July 1967.
863 - Eddie Mathews and Hank Aaron hit, while teammates, 863 combined home runs, the most in baseball history for two teammates (second place belongs to Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig).
2,181 - Eddie Mathews played 2,181 games at third base, the most in Major League history at the time of his retirement — as well as the most assists by a third baseman in a career (4,322), the most chances handled at third base in a career (6,371), and the most total chances at third base in a career (6,664).

Eddie Mathews | National Baseball Hall of Fame Plaque | Class of 1978 (HOF)
Eddie Mathews, who appeared on the cover of the very first Sports Illustrated ever published, "was considered the best hitting prospect in baseball, and even Hall of Famer Ty Cobb marveled at the youngster's ability, 'I've only known three or four perfect swings in my time,' said Cobb (Thar's Joy in Braveland: The 1957 Milwaukee Braves. SABR Digital Publishing. 28 March 2014. Page 124.), 'This lad has one of them.'"

Eddie Mathews | Sports Illustrated | First Issue) | 16 August 1954
Baseball Almanac Research Library