Hall of Fame Major League Baseball Player. The premier third baseman of his era, he was a key member of the Milwaukee Braves teams of the late 1950s. His 512 career home runs ties him with Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer Ernie Banks; and his 486 homers hit as a third baseman were a record until surpassed by Philadelphia Phillies Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt. He was the starting third baseman for the Braves for fifteen years and two franchise shifts. Mathews once said that his most disappointing moment in baseball came one year after his most memorable. The Braves beat the Yankees in the 1957 World Series, a series where Mathews won Game Four with a 10th-inning homer off Bob Grim, and his backhanded grab of Bill Skowron's shot down the line closed off the Yankees in Game Seven. One year later, the Braves met the Yanks again in the 1958 World Series and blew a 3 games to 1 lead. Mathews could only manage a .160 average and struck out 11 times. He hit his 500th home run with the Houston Astros and played a final season and a half with the Detroit Tigers, ending his career with a World Series Championship in 1968. Mathews coached for the Braves in the early 1970s and served as manager in 1972-74. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1978.
Hall of Fame Major League Baseball Player. The premier third baseman of his era, he was a key member of the Milwaukee Braves teams of the late 1950s. His 512 career home runs ties him with Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer Ernie Banks; and his 486 homers hit as a third baseman were a record until surpassed by Philadelphia Phillies Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt. He was the starting third baseman for the Braves for fifteen years and two franchise shifts. Mathews once said that his most disappointing moment in baseball came one year after his most memorable. The Braves beat the Yankees in the 1957 World Series, a series where Mathews won Game Four with a 10th-inning homer off Bob Grim, and his backhanded grab of Bill Skowron's shot down the line closed off the Yankees in Game Seven. One year later, the Braves met the Yanks again in the 1958 World Series and blew a 3 games to 1 lead. Mathews could only manage a .160 average and struck out 11 times. He hit his 500th home run with the Houston Astros and played a final season and a half with the Detroit Tigers, ending his career with a World Series Championship in 1968. Mathews coached for the Braves in the early 1970s and served as manager in 1972-74. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1978.
Bio by: Frank Russo
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