Braves History: Eddie Mathews, The Three-City Star

Each MLB team has its share of legends from each era in the cities they have called home. The Braves have their stars specific to Boston, such as Johnny Sain, or just to Atlanta, such as Chipper Jones. Some are two-city stars, such as Hank Aaron and Warren Spahn. 

However, one Hall of Famer of theirs managed to call all three of the Braves' cities home. That honor goes to Eddie Mathews. He represents the lone player in franchise history to have played in all three cities as a Braves player. 

There is an argument that he is solely a Milwaukee-era ballplayer. After all, of his 15 seasons with the Braves, 13 of them were in this one city. Of his 512 home runs, 452 were in a Milwaukee uniform. 

However, there is an argument that he made an impact in all three cities. 

Mathews made his debut with Boston in 1952, the final season before the move. His Major League debut came during the final home opener at Braves Field. In that first season, he finished tied for the lead in home runs (25) with outfielder Sid Gordan. This effort was good enough for him to finish third in the National League Rookie of the Year voting. 

Boston Braves fans would have felt they had a new star on their hands. However, rumors of bidding farewell would ultimately prove to be true. During the middle of the 1953 Spring Training season, the Braves were approved to move to Milwaukee, making Mathews a star for a new city after just one year. 

During those 13 seasons in Milwaukee, he made 12 All-Star teams, finished as the runner-up in MVP voting twice and won the World Series in 1957 over the New York Yankees. During his time in Milwaukee, he became the first athlete to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1954.