Former Phillie Gary Matthews to be inducted into Negro Leagues Hall of Game
Matthews will be joined by Ralph Garr, Reggie Smith, and Andre Thornton in the Class of 2026, which will be inducted in a ceremony on Sept. 26 in Kansas City.
Former Phillies left fielder Gary Matthews will be part of the Class of 2026 inductees into the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum’s Hall of Game.
Matthews, 76, will be joined by Ralph Garr, Reggie Smith, and Andre Thornton in the Class of 2026, which will be inducted in a ceremony on Sept. 26 at the Gem Theater in Kansas City.
Matthews played 16 major league seasons, including three with the Phillies, from 1981-83.
Matthews was the National League Championship Series MVP in 1983, after helping the Phillies beat the Los Angeles Dodgers with a .429 batting average, three home runs, and eight RBIs in the series. In his more than 400 games with the Phillies, Matthews had a .279 batting average (.281 for his career).
Nicknamed “Sarge,” Matthews was a first-round draft pick in 1968 by the San Francisco Giants. He also played for the Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, and Seattle Mariners. He won National League Rookie of the Year in 1973.
Matthews served as a color analyst for the Phillies broadcast team from 2007 to 2013, alongside Harry Kalas and Chris Wheeler during some of his career.
Garr played 13 seasons with the Braves, Chicago White Sox and California Angels. Smith played 17 seasons with the Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers and Giants. Thornton, had a 14-season career with the Cubs, Montreal Expos and Cleveland.
The Second Annual JL Wilkinson “Innovator” Award is being presented to longtime sports journalist Rob Parker.
The Hall of Game, established by the museum in 2014, honors former major league greats who embodied the spirit and signature style of the Negro Leagues.