Eddie Mathews

Eddie Mathews
Third baseman
Born: October 13, 1931 Texarkana , United States
Died on: February 18, 2001 La Jolla , United States
Hit: Right Left Switch	Threw: Right Left
Debut in Major League Baseball
April 15,  1952  with the  Boston Braves
Last MLB assignment
September 27,  1968  for the  Detroit Tigers
MLB statistics (until end of career)
Batting average	, 271
Hits	2,315
Home runs	512
Runs Batted In	1,453
Teams
As a player Boston / Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves (1952–1966) Houston Astros (1967) Detroit Tigers (1967-1968) As a manager Atlanta Braves (1972–1974)
Awards
12 × All-Star (1953, 1955–1961, 1962) 2 × World Series winner (1957, 1968) 2 × batsman with the most home runs in the NL (1953, 1959) In his honor, the # 41 is no longer awarded by the Atlanta Braves
member of
Baseball Hall of Fame
Recorded	1978
Quota	79.42% (fifth ballot)

Edwin Lee "Eddie" Mathews Jr. (born October 13, 1931 in Texarkana , Texas , † February 18, 2001 in La Jolla , California ) was an American baseball player and manager in Major League Baseball .

biography

The left-handed batsman Eddie Mathews was considered one of the outstanding 3rd basemen of his time. He played his first game in the National League on April 15, 1952 for the Boston Braves . As early as 1949, the year he graduated from high school, he had signed the contract with the Braves. During his time in the minor leagues , he played for teams in Milwaukee and Atlanta , where his major league career should take him. In his first year he managed 25 home runs . On September 27th he even got three in one game with the Brooklyn Dodgers . With this he had set a new record for a rookie .

With the Braves in decline in Boston, the team moved to the Midwest in Milwaukee in 1953. Here, the Braves were sure of the sympathy of the city and the entire area. Mathews have 47 home runs, most in the National League that season. In 1954 he graced the first cover picture of Sports Illustrated magazine .

In 1957 and 1958, the Milwaukee Braves were able to win the title in the National League twice. In the World Series there were two clashes with the New York Yankees . In the first year, the Braves could defeat the Yankees in seven games. In the fourth game of the series, Mathews was able to secure the victory for the Braves with a home run in the 10th  inning . In 1958, the Yankees prevailed in seven games. In 1958 he had led the National League again with 46 home runs. Ty Cobb , who was not known for great praise for modern baseball players, said of Mathews, “I knew three or four who had perfect swing. And this boy is one of them. "

Mathews scored his 500th home run on July 14, 1967 wearing the Houston Astros jersey against Juan Marichal of the San Francisco Giants . Mathews was only the seventh player to reach this mark at the time. From the Astros he moved to the Detroit Tigers , with whom he won his second World Series in 1968. Mathews was used here in two more games. After that season he ended his career as a player.

From 1972 to 1974 he was manager of the Atlanta Braves. During his tenure, Hank Aaron's 715th home run fell . Mathews was the only player to have played in all three of the Braves' home locations. In 1978 he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame . He died on February 18, 2001 at the age of 69 of complications from pneumonia.

His stations as a player

• 1952 Boston Braves
• 1953-1965 Milwaukee Braves
• 1966 Atlanta Braves
• 1967 Houston Astros
• 1967–1968 Detroit Tigers

His stations as a manager

• 1972–1974 Atlanta Braves

Web links

Commons : Eddie Mathews  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

• Player information and statistics Baseball Reference  or  FanGraphs (English)
• Data as a manager (English)
• Biography of Eddie Mathews (English)
• Eddie Mathews in the Hall of Fame (English)