Gary Matthews was born on Wednesday, July 5, 1950, in San Fernando, California. Matthews was 22 years old when he broke into the big leagues on September 6, 1972, with the San Francisco Giants. 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 Gary Matthews baseball stats page.
"I am proud to saw that it was none other than Pete Rose, bless him, who pinned the nickname 'Sarge' on me. It happened in 1983. When I joined the Phillies before the start of the 1981 season (in a trade from the Atlanta Braves for pitcher Bob Walk), Pete was already there. Two years earlier he had signed with the Phillies as a free agent. We were teammates for three seasons. We finished first in the National League East in 1983 and faced the Dodgers in the National League Championships Series when, after a mediocre regular season (a .258 average, 10 home runs, and 50 RBIs in 132 games), I went on a hot streak. In four games, I batted .429, hit three home runs, drove in eight runs, and was named Most Valuable Player of the NLCS. That's when Pete dubbed me with the nickname 'Sarge' and said, 'Any time a future Hall of Famer gives you a nickname, it sticks.' Pete got one part right. It's been two decades, and to everybody in baseball (and many outside of it) I'm still known as Sarge, and the name has given me an identity, an image, and a legacy. But Pete was wrong about the 'future Hall of Famer' part. Rose is not in the Hall of Fame, although he should be." - Gary Matthews in Few and Chosen Phillies: Defining Phillies Greatness Across the Eras (Triumph Books, 04/01/2012, Preface)
Gary MatthewsGary Matthews Autograph on a 1978 Topps Baseball Card (#475) |
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Biographical Data | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Gary MatthewsGary Matthews 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 |
Gary MatthewsGary Matthews 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 |
1972 | 22 | Giants | 20 | 62 | 11 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 2 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .290 | .357 | .532 |
1973 | 23 | Giants | 148 | 540 | 74 | 162 | 22 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 58 | 58 | 7 | 83 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 12 | .300 | .367 | .444 |
1974 | 24 | Giants | 154 | 561 | 87 | 161 | 27 | 6 | 16 | 1 | 82 | 70 | 5 | 69 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 15 | .287 | .368 | .442 |
1975 | 25 | Giants | 116 | 425 | 67 | 119 | 22 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 58 | 65 | 5 | 53 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 13 | .280 | .377 | .431 |
1976 | 26 | Giants | 156 | 587 | 79 | 164 | 28 | 4 | 20 | 0 | 84 | 75 | 3 | 94 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 8 | .279 | .359 | .443 |
1977 | 27 | Braves | 148 | 555 | 89 | 157 | 25 | 5 | 17 | 1 | 64 | 67 | 3 | 90 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 13 | .283 | .362 | .438 |
1978 | 28 | Braves | 129 | 474 | 75 | 135 | 20 | 5 | 18 | 0 | 62 | 61 | 2 | 92 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 16 | .285 | .366 | .462 |
1979 | 29 | Braves | 156 | 631 | 97 | 192 | 34 | 5 | 27 | 1 | 90 | 60 | 5 | 75 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6 | .304 | .363 | .502 |
1980 | 30 | Braves | 155 | 571 | 79 | 159 | 17 | 3 | 19 | 0 | 75 | 42 | 2 | 93 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 16 | .278 | .325 | .419 |
1981 | 31 | Phillies | 101 | 359 | 62 | 108 | 21 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 67 | 59 | 2 | 42 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 8 | .301 | .398 | .451 |
1982 | 32 | Phillies | 162 | 616 | 89 | 173 | 31 | 1 | 19 | 0 | 83 | 66 | 1 | 87 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 23 | .281 | .349 | .427 |
1983 | 33 | Phillies | 132 | 446 | 66 | 115 | 18 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 50 | 69 | 3 | 81 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 8 | .258 | .352 | .374 |
1984 | 34 | Cubs | 147 | 491 | 101 | 143 | 21 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 82 | 103 | 2 | 97 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 10 | .291 | .410 | .428 |
1985 | 35 | Cubs | 97 | 298 | 45 | 70 | 12 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 40 | 59 | 2 | 64 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 8 | .235 | .362 | .406 |
1986 | 36 | Cubs | 123 | 370 | 49 | 96 | 16 | 1 | 21 | 0 | 46 | 60 | 1 | 59 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 15 | .259 | .361 | .478 |
1987 | 37 | Cubs | 44 | 42 | 3 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .262 | .326 | .333 |
1987 | 37 | Mariners | 45 | 119 | 10 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | .235 | .319 | .319 |
Career | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG | ||
16 Years | 2,033 | 7,147 | 1,083 | 2,011 | 319 | 51 | 234 | 3 | 978 | 940 | 46 | 1,125 | 19 | 62 | 21 | 179 | .281 | .364 | .439 |
Gary MatthewsGary Matthews Fielding Stats |
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Team | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
1972 Giants | LF | 10 | 8 | 234 | 26 | 2.6 | 25 | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .962 | 2.88 |
1972 Giants | RF | 9 | 9 | 222 | 15 | 1.7 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.82 |
1973 Giants | LF | 144 | 140 | 3,726 | 297 | 2.1 | 292 | 281 | 11 | 5 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .983 | 2.12 |
1973 Giants | RF | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 3.00 |
1974 Giants | LF | 151 | 144 | 3,888 | 302 | 2.0 | 293 | 284 | 9 | 9 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .970 | 2.03 |
1975 Giants | LF | 113 | 112 | 2,973 | 244 | 2.2 | 236 | 225 | 11 | 8 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .967 | 2.14 |
1976 Giants | LF | 156 | 155 | 435 | 277 | 1.8 | 270 | 262 | 8 | 7 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .975 | 16.76 |
1977 Braves | LF | 145 | 145 | 384 | 283 | 2.0 | 273 | 262 | 11 | 10 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .965 | 19.20 |
1978 Braves | RF | 127 | 126 | 3,228 | 257 | 2.0 | 249 | 239 | 10 | 8 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .969 | 2.08 |
1979 Braves | RF | 156 | 156 | 4,086 | 316 | 2.0 | 308 | 296 | 12 | 8 | 4 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .975 | 2.04 |
1980 Braves | LF | 6 | 5 | 132 | 6 | 1.0 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .833 | 1.02 |
1980 Braves | RF | 137 | 137 | 87 | 270 | 2.0 | 260 | 254 | 6 | 10 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .963 | 80.69 |
1981 Phillies | LF | 100 | 99 | 2,520 | 184 | 1.8 | 177 | 165 | 12 | 7 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .962 | 1.90 |
1982 Phillies | LF | 162 | 161 | 2,943 | 295 | 1.8 | 286 | 272 | 14 | 9 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .969 | 2.62 |
1983 Phillies | LF | 122 | 120 | 2,913 | 193 | 1.6 | 188 | 177 | 11 | 5 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .974 | 1.74 |
1984 Cubs | LF | 145 | 144 | 3,375 | 240 | 1.7 | 229 | 223 | 6 | 11 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .954 | 1.83 |
1985 Cubs | LF | 85 | 85 | 1,950 | 131 | 1.5 | 128 | 120 | 8 | 3 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .977 | 1.77 |
1986 Cubs | LF | 105 | 104 | 2,337 | 152 | 1.4 | 143 | 138 | 5 | 9 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .941 | 1.65 |
1987 Cubs | LF | 2 | 2 | 30 | 2 | 1.0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.80 |
Career | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
LF Totals | 1,446 | 1,424 | 27,840 | 2,632 | 1.8 | 2,547 | 2,440 | 107 | 85 | 14 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .968 | 2.47 | |
RF Totals | 430 | 428 | 7,632 | 859 | 2.0 | 833 | 805 | 28 | 26 | 4 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .970 | 2.95 | |
16 Years | 1,876 | 1,852 | 35,472 | 3,491 | 1.9 | 3,380 | 3,245 | 135 | 111 | 18 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .968 | 2.57 |
Gary MatthewsGary Matthews 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 |
1972 Giants | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1 | 0 | n/a | 15.5 | 4.8 | 4.4 | - | - | - |
1973 Giants | 17 | 5 | .773 | 1 | 2 | n/a | 45.0 | 6.5 | 9.3 | - | - | - |
1974 Giants | 11 | 9 | .550 | 5 | 2 | n/a | 35.1 | 8.1 | 6.8 | - | - | - |
1975 Giants | 13 | 4 | .765 | 4 | 0 | n/a | 35.4 | 8.0 | 7.3 | - | - | - |
1976 Giants | 12 | 5 | .706 | 1 | 0 | n/a | 29.4 | 6.2 | 7.0 | - | - | - |
1977 Braves | 22 | 8 | .733 | 2 | 1 | n/a | 32.6 | 6.2 | 8.7 | - | - | - |
1978 Braves | 8 | 7 | .533 | 3 | 0 | n/a | 26.3 | 5.2 | 7.6 | - | - | - |
1979 Braves | 18 | 6 | .750 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 23.4 | 8.4 | 7.0 | - | - | - |
1980 Braves | 11 | 3 | .786 | 11 | 1 | n/a | 30.1 | 6.1 | 7.6 | - | - | - |
1981 Phillies | 15 | 2 | .882 | 2 | 0 | n/a | 39.9 | 8.5 | 5.4 | - | - | - |
1982 Phillies | 21 | 4 | .840 | 1 | 0 | n/a | 32.4 | 7.1 | 7.4 | - | - | - |
1983 Phillies | 13 | 9 | .591 | 12 | 0 | n/a | 44.6 | 5.5 | 8.9 | - | - | - |
1984 Cubs | 17 | 8 | .680 | 3 | 0 | n/a | 35.1 | 5.1 | 6.0 | - | - | - |
1985 Cubs | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 12 | 0 | n/a | 22.9 | 4.7 | 7.5 | - | - | - |
1986 Cubs | 3 | 2 | .600 | 19 | 0 | n/a | 17.6 | 6.3 | 8.0 | - | - | - |
1987 Cubs | 0 | 0 | .000 | 42 | 0 | n/a | 0.0 | 3.8 | 5.3 | - | - | - |
1987 Mariners | 0 | 1 | .000 | 16 | 0 | 39 | 39.7 | 5.4 | 7.9 | - | - | - |
Career | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
16 Years | 183 | 74 | .712 | 135 | 6 | 39 | 30.5 | 6.4 | 7.3 | - | - | - |
Gary MatthewsGary Matthews Miscellaneous Items of Interest |
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Team | Roster | Uniform Numbers | Salary | All-Star | World Series |
1972 San Francisco Giants | 36 | $13,500.00 | - | - |
1973 San Francisco Giants | 36 | $15,000.00 | - | - |
1974 San Francisco Giants | 36 | $15,000.00 | - | - |
1975 San Francisco Giants | 36 | Undetermined | - | - |
1976 San Francisco Giants | 36 | $42,000.00 | - | - |
1977 Atlanta Braves | 36 | $296,750.00 | - | - |
1978 Atlanta Braves | 36 | Undetermined | - | - |
1979 Atlanta Braves | 36 | Undetermined | Stats | - |
1980 Atlanta Braves | 36 | Undetermined | - | - |
1981 Philadelphia Phillies | 34 | Undetermined | - | - |
1982 Philadelphia Phillies | 34 | Undetermined | - | - |
1983 Philadelphia Phillies | 34 | Undetermined | - | Stats |
1984 Chicago Cubs | 36 | Undetermined | - | - |
1985 Chicago Cubs | 36 | $600,000.00 | - | - |
1986 Chicago Cubs | 36 | $850,000.00 | - | - |
1987 Chicago Cubs | 36 | Undetermined | - | - |
1987 Seattle Mariners | 36 | Undetermined | - | - |
Gary Matthews Stats by Baseball Almanac |
In 1973, Greg Luzinski set a Philadelphia Phillies record for most games played in left field during a single season (159 appearances), a mark The Bull tied in 1975. In 1982, Gary Matthews broke the fielding feat, appearing in every possible game that year (162), a team-specific record that has never been duplicated to date in Philly.
Have you ever wondered what other left-fielders - in Major League history - have taken their position in left field, at least 162 times? The "I Don't Need a Day Off Club" include the following left fielders: Leon Wagner (163 games in 1964), Billy Williams (162 games in 1964), Roy White (162 games in 1973), Pete Rose (163 games in 1974), Luis Gonzalez (162 games in 2000) and Carlos Lee (162 games in 2005).
Did you know that Pete Rose gave Gary Matthews his nickname? If you missed it, see the story at the top of Sarge's online baseball card, where he also mentions his League Championship Most Valuable Player Award - the second LCS MVPwon by a Philadelphia Phillies player. Do you know who was the first? Clue: second baseman, 1980. [Answer]
Gary Matthews (234 HRs) and his son, Gary Matthews Jr. (108 HRs), have a combined total of 342 home runs (HRs), the tenth most career home runs by a father and son pair. Fathers & sons with more are: #9. 357 HRs: Bob Boone (105 HRs) & Bret Boone (252 HRs), #8. 369 HRs: Jose Cruz (165 HRs) & Jose Cruz, Jr. (204 HRs), #7. 407 HRs: Yogi Berra (358 HRs) & Dale Berra (49 HRs), #7. 407 HRs: Gus Bell (206 HRs) & Buddy Bell (201 HRs), #5. 458 HRs: Tony Perez (379 HRs) and Eduardo Perez (79 HRs), #4. 539 HRs: Felipe Alou (207 HRs) and Moises Alou (332 HRs), #3. 637 HRs: Cecil Fielder (319 HRs) & Prince Fielder (318 HRs / Active), #2. 782 HRs: Ken Griffey (152 HRs) & Ken Griffey, Jr. (630 HRs), #1. 1,094 HRs: Bobby Bonds (332 HRs) & Barry Bonds (762 HRs).