Eddie Mathews
Third Baseman · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (1952-1968)
Eddie Mathews was a third baseman who played in Major League Baseball from 1952 to 1968 for 5 teams, including the Boston Braves, a span of 17 seasons. In 2,391 career games, he hit .271 with 2,315 hits, 512 home runs, and 1,453 RBI. Eddie Mathews was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1978 and was a 9-time All-Star. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 45,555.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Third Baseman
- Bats / Throws
- L / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'1" / 190 lb
- Died
- 2/18/2001 in La Jolla, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1952-04-15
- Last Game
- 1968-09-27
- Hall of Fame
- Inducted 1978 (BBWAA)
- Awards
- 9× All-Star
Full name: Edwin Lee Mathews
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,391 | 8,537 | 1,509 | 2,315 | 354 | 72 | 512 | 1,453 | 68 | 1,444 | 1,487 | .271 | .376 | .509 | .885 | 45,555 |
Career AVG .271 vs. league average .253 across their career seasons — +7.3% above league average.
Career OBP .376 vs. league average .320 across their career seasons — +17.5% above league average.
Career SLG .509 vs. league average .381 across their career seasons — +33.6% above league average.
Career OPS .885 vs. league average .701 across their career seasons — +26.3% above league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | BSN | NL | 145 | 528 | 80 | 128 | 23 | 5 | 25 | 58 | 6 | 59 | 115 | .242 | .252 (-4%) | .326 (-2%) | .369 (+21%) | .696 (+10%) | 915.0 |
| 1953 | ML1 | NL | 157 | 579 | 110 | 175 | 31 | 8 | 47 | 135 | 1 | 99 | 83 | .302 | .264 (+14%) | .335 (+21%) | .397 (+58%) | .733 (+41%) | 5021.2 |
| 1954 | ML1 | NL | 138 | 476 | 96 | 138 | 21 | 4 | 40 | 103 | 10 | 113 | 61 | .290 | .261 (+11%) | .333 (+27%) | .390 (+55%) | .723 (+42%) | 4384.8 |
| 1955 | ML1 | NL | 141 | 499 | 108 | 144 | 23 | 5 | 41 | 101 | 3 | 109 | 98 | .289 | .258 (+12%) | .332 (+24%) | .393 (+53%) | .726 (+40%) | 4291.2 |
| 1956 | ML1 | NL | 151 | 552 | 103 | 150 | 21 | 2 | 37 | 95 | 6 | 91 | 86 | .272 | .258 (+5%) | .331 (+13%) | .397 (+30%) | .728 (+22%) | 2690.7 |
| 1957 | ML1 | NL | 148 | 572 | 109 | 167 | 28 | 9 | 32 | 94 | 3 | 90 | 79 | .292 | .257 (+13%) | .323 (+19%) | .391 (+38%) | .715 (+30%) | 3569.2 |
| 1958 | ML1 | NL | 149 | 546 | 97 | 137 | 18 | 1 | 31 | 77 | 5 | 85 | 85 | .251 | .257 (-3%) | .324 (+8%) | .394 (+16%) | .719 (+12%) | 1480.0 |
| 1959 | ML1 | NL | 148 | 594 | 118 | 182 | 16 | 8 | 46 | 114 | 2 | 80 | 71 | .306 | .256 (+19%) | .323 (+20%) | .392 (+51%) | .715 (+37%) | 4550.2 |
| 1960 | ML1 | NL | 153 | 548 | 108 | 152 | 19 | 7 | 39 | 124 | 7 | 111 | 113 | .277 | .255 (+9%) | .323 (+23%) | .387 (+42%) | .711 (+33%) | 4010.1 |
| 1961 | ML1 | NL | 152 | 572 | 103 | 175 | 23 | 6 | 32 | 91 | 12 | 93 | 95 | .306 | .258 (+18%) | .328 (+23%) | .399 (+34%) | .727 (+29%) | 3615.3 |
| 1962 | ML1 | NL | 152 | 536 | 106 | 142 | 25 | 6 | 29 | 90 | 4 | 101 | 90 | .265 | .257 (+3%) | .326 (+17%) | .393 (+26%) | .719 (+22%) | 2625.1 |
| 1963 | ML1 | NL | 158 | 547 | 82 | 144 | 27 | 4 | 23 | 84 | 3 | 124 | 119 | .263 | .246 (+7%) | .308 (+29%) | .371 (+22%) | .680 (+25%) | 3294.8 |
| 1964 | ML1 | NL | 141 | 502 | 83 | 117 | 19 | 1 | 23 | 74 | 2 | 85 | 100 | .233 | .250 (-7%) | .312 (+10%) | .377 (+9%) | .690 (+10%) | 1167.1 |
| 1965 | ML1 | NL | 156 | 546 | 77 | 137 | 23 | 0 | 32 | 95 | 1 | 73 | 110 | .251 | .245 (+2%) | .310 (+10%) | .371 (+26%) | .682 (+19%) | 2061.3 |
| 1966 | ATL | NL | 134 | 452 | 72 | 113 | 21 | 4 | 16 | 53 | 1 | 63 | 82 | .250 | .248 (+1%) | .309 (+10%) | .376 (+12%) | .685 (+11%) | 1061.0 |
| 1967 | HOU | NL | 101 | 328 | 39 | 78 | 13 | 2 | 10 | 38 | 2 | 48 | 65 | .238 | .242 (-2%) | .306 (+9%) | .357 (+7%) | .663 (+8%) | 527.5 |
| 1967 | DET | AL | 36 | 108 | 14 | 25 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 19 | 0 | 15 | 23 | .231 | .242 (-4%) | .306 (+8%) | .357 (+19%) | .663 (+14%) | 527.5 |
| 1968 | DET | AL | 31 | 52 | 4 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 12 | .212 | .236 (-11%) | .298 (-6%) | .340 (+13%) | .638 (+4%) | 31.7 |
| Career · 18 seasons | 2,391 | 8,537 | 1,509 | 2,315 | 354 | 72 | 512 | 1,453 | 68 | 1,444 | 1,487 | .271 | — | — | — | — | 45,824 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (2389 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 1178 | 4084 | 697 | 1081 | 238 | 666 | .265 |
| Away | 1211 | 4445 | 810 | 1232 | 273 | 787 | .277 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968-09-27 | DET | TEX | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1968-09-23 | DET | BAL | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1968-09-22 | DET | TEX | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1968-09-21 | DET | TEX | W | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1968-09-19 | DET | NYY | W | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 1968-09-08 | DET | MIN | L | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1968-09-03 | DET | OAK | W | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1968-09-02 | DET | OAK | W | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1968-09-02 | DET | OAK | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1968-06-05 | DET | BOS | W | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 112 | 100 | 833 | 62 | 12 | 75 |
| 3B | 2181 | 1843 | 2049 | 4322 | 293 | 369 |
| OF | 52 | 52 | 84 | 1 | 8 | 0 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | BSN | 3B | 142 | 0 | 160 | 259 | 19 | 21 |
| 1953 | ML1 | 3B | 157 | 0 | 154 | 311 | 30 | 33 |
| 1954 | ML1 | 3B | 127 | 126 | 112 | 254 | 13 | 28 |
| 1954 | ML1 | OF | 10 | 10 | 21 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1955 | ML1 | 3B | 137 | 137 | 140 | 280 | 21 | 23 |
| 1956 | ML1 | 3B | 150 | 149 | 133 | 287 | 25 | 22 |
| 1957 | ML1 | 3B | 147 | 147 | 131 | 299 | 16 | 27 |
| 1958 | ML1 | 3B | 149 | 149 | 116 | 351 | 22 | 24 |
| 1959 | ML1 | 3B | 148 | 148 | 144 | 305 | 18 | 21 |
| 1960 | ML1 | 3B | 153 | 153 | 141 | 280 | 22 | 23 |
| 1961 | ML1 | 3B | 151 | 151 | 168 | 281 | 18 | 30 |
| 1962 | ML1 | 1B | 7 | 7 | 67 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| 1962 | ML1 | 3B | 140 | 140 | 141 | 283 | 16 | 22 |
| 1963 | ML1 | 3B | 121 | 115 | 113 | 276 | 13 | 23 |
| 1963 | ML1 | OF | 42 | 42 | 63 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| 1964 | ML1 | 1B | 7 | 7 | 54 | 5 | 2 | 4 |
| 1964 | ML1 | 3B | 128 | 123 | 130 | 247 | 15 | 19 |
| 1965 | ML1 | 3B | 153 | 146 | 113 | 301 | 19 | 19 |
| 1966 | ATL | 3B | 127 | 115 | 114 | 237 | 20 | 31 |
| 1967 | HOU | 1B | 79 | 68 | 572 | 40 | 8 | 50 |
| 1967 | HOU | 3B | 24 | 20 | 22 | 33 | 3 | 3 |
| 1967 | DET | 1B | 13 | 12 | 106 | 12 | 1 | 9 |
| 1967 | DET | 3B | 21 | 19 | 14 | 28 | 3 | 0 |
| 1968 | DET | 1B | 6 | 6 | 34 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| 1968 | DET | 3B | 6 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| First Base | 112 |
| Third Base | 2180 |
| Left Field | 52 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | TSN All-Star | 3B |
| 1959 | TSN All-Star | 3B |
| 1957 | TSN All-Star | 3B |
| 1955 | TSN All-Star | 3B |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 20th | 8.0 | 280 | 0 |
| 1962 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 29th | 1.0 | 280 | 0 |
| 1961 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 17th | 7.0 | 224 | 0 |
| 1960 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 10th | 52.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1959 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 2nd | 189.0 | 336 | 5 |
| 1957 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 8th | 45.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1955 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 18th | 6.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1954 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 19th | 5.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1953 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 2nd | 216.0 | 336 | 3 |
| 1952 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 21th | 13.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1952 | Rookie of the Year | NL | 3rd | 1.0 | 24 | 1 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Eddie Mathews (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Eddie Mathews
See Eddie Mathews in Another Era
Eddie Mathews: the record in brief
Between the debut on April 15, 1952 and the final game on September 27, 1968, Eddie Mathews built the record summarized on this page. By club, Mathews's seasons break down as the Boston Braves (1952), the Milwaukee Braves (1953 through 1965), the Atlanta Braves (1966), the Houston Astros (1967), and the Detroit Tigers (1967 to 1968). Listed as a third baseman, Mathews hit left-handed while throwing right-handed. Height and weight on file: 6'1" and 190 pounds. The birth record reads October 13, 1931, in Texarkana, TX, USA. The bio records the death on February 18, 2001, in La Jolla, CA, USA. Eddie Mathews was the playing name; the full given name is Edwin Lee.
Mathews collected 2,315 hits in 8,537 at bats across 2,391 games, good for a .271 batting average, plus 512 homers, 1,453 RBI, and 68 stolen bases. Mathews's career OPS of .885 combines a .376 on-base mark with .509 slugging.
Frequently Asked Questions about Eddie Mathews
- What years did Eddie Mathews play?
- Eddie Mathews played in Major League Baseball from 1952 to 1968.
- Was Eddie Mathews a pitcher?
- No. Eddie Mathews was a position player (Third Baseman).
- How many home runs did Eddie Mathews hit?
- Eddie Mathews hit 512 career home runs with 2315 hits.
- Is Eddie Mathews in the Hall of Fame?
- Yes. Eddie Mathews was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1978.
- What was Eddie Mathews's career batting average?
- Eddie Mathews batted .271 over his career, with 2,315 hits in 8,537 at bats.
- How many RBI did Eddie Mathews have?
- Eddie Mathews drove in 1,453 runs in his career.