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Edwin Lee Mathews
Milwaukee Braves
Third Base
Born: October 13, 1931, Texarkana, TX
Signed: Signed by the Boston Braves as an amateur free agent before 1949 season
Major League Teams: Boston Braves 1952; Milwaukee Braves 1953-1965; Atlanta Braves 1966; Houston Astros 1967; Detroit Tigers 1967-1968
As a Manager: Atlanta Braves 1972-1974
Hall of Fame Induction: 1978
Died: February 18, 2001, La Jolla, CA (age 69)
Eddie Mathews is widely acknowledged as the best National League third baseman of his era, having made nine All-Star teams, winning a World Series ring with the Braves in 1957 and accumulating 512 career home runs. He led the league in 1953 and 1959 in home runs, finishing as the runner-up for the National League MVP award in both those seasons. Mathews drove in 100 or more runs in five different seasons and hit 30 or more home runs in nine straight seasons between 1953 and 1961. He had his final 30-home run season for the Braves in 1965.
A long-time member of the Braves franchise, he's the only player to play with the club during each of their three city stops in Boston, Milwaukee and Atlanta. A well-known and star player in his third big league season, Mathews appeared on the cover of the very first issue of Sports Illustrated in 1954. Later in his career, Mathews won a second World Series ring as a member of the Tigers in 1968. He accumulated 2,315 career hits and a .271 career average, and when he retired he ranked sixth on the all-time home run leaders list, and first in games played at third (2,181), assists at third (4,322) and chances at third (6,371).
Following his retirement, Mathews had his #41 retired by the Braves in 1969. He coached for the Braves in 1971 and managed the team between 1972 and 1974, compiling a managerial record of 149-161. He was the team's manager when Hank Aaron (#170) hit his record-breaking 715th home run to pass Babe Ruth on the all-time list, but he was fired shortly thereafter. Mathews was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1978, his fifth time appearing on the ballot.
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1956 Topps blog.
Building the Set
The Card / Braves Team Set
I'm fairly certain this is the first card in the set I've encountered where the player's first name is different on the front and back of the card. He's Ed on the front and the less formal Eddie on the back. The cartoon on the back highlights Mathews' status as the third active home run leader with 445 total through 1964. Mickey Mantle (#350) was atop the list with 454 and Willie Mays (#250) was second with 453. Mathews, at card #26, is one of 72 players featured within the 1965 Topps Embossed insert set and one of four Braves in the set.
1965 Season
In the Braves' final season in Milwaukee, Mathews put together another solid year, and it would be his final year of star-quality production. He started 146 games at third base, with either Miguel de la Hoz or Denis Menke (#327) getting the rare start at third when Mathews would take a day off. He led the team with 95 RBIs and was tied with Aaron for the team lead in home runs with 32. On August 20th, Mathews hit his 28th home run of the season and the 773rd overall for the Mathews-Aaron duo, placing them atop the all-time teammate leaderboard, passing the 772 hit by Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Mathews and Aaron would ultimately hit a combined 863 home runs as teammates through the 1966 season.
October 12, 2021 from Valley Cottage, NY - Card #374
This Mathews card along with three other cards needed for our set were bonus additions to a large purchase I made from OLDBBCards Vintage Sports Cards from Valley Cottage, New York on my birthday. The bubble envelope containing the cards arrived a little over a week later. I'm also slowly collecting the 1934-36 Diamond Stars set, and I took advantage of the seller's 20% off sale being offered in their eBay store to add the Earl Averill card, the most expensive card I've purchased for that set to date. Before checking out, I browsed the seller's other cards for sale and found four reasonably priced cards needed for our 1965 Topps set. Mathews was priced at an extremely reasonable $20 after applying the discount, and upon closer inspection now this card might be a good candidate for a potential upgrade down the line.
I spent a relatively low-key birthday watching our oldest son Doug help his team win a travel baseball game in the morning, receiving the Pete Rose (#207) card for our set, and then walking over to my sister's house for a cook-out with family that afternoon. It was a wonderful day!
The Card / Braves Team Set
I'm fairly certain this is the first card in the set I've encountered where the player's first name is different on the front and back of the card. He's Ed on the front and the less formal Eddie on the back. The cartoon on the back highlights Mathews' status as the third active home run leader with 445 total through 1964. Mickey Mantle (#350) was atop the list with 454 and Willie Mays (#250) was second with 453. Mathews, at card #26, is one of 72 players featured within the 1965 Topps Embossed insert set and one of four Braves in the set.
1965 Season
In the Braves' final season in Milwaukee, Mathews put together another solid year, and it would be his final year of star-quality production. He started 146 games at third base, with either Miguel de la Hoz or Denis Menke (#327) getting the rare start at third when Mathews would take a day off. He led the team with 95 RBIs and was tied with Aaron for the team lead in home runs with 32. On August 20th, Mathews hit his 28th home run of the season and the 773rd overall for the Mathews-Aaron duo, placing them atop the all-time teammate leaderboard, passing the 772 hit by Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Mathews and Aaron would ultimately hit a combined 863 home runs as teammates through the 1966 season.
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Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1952 Topps #407
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (19): 1952-1968, 1973-1974
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2021 Topps Living Set #379
1,079 - Mathews non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 11/3/21.
Sources:
1956 Topps Blog
First Mainstream Card: 1952 Topps #407
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (19): 1952-1968, 1973-1974
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2021 Topps Living Set #379
1,079 - Mathews non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 11/3/21.
Sources:
1956 Topps Blog
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