Gary (The Sarge) Matthews is one of four former stars being inducted into the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City on Saturday. Joining him in the Class of 2026 are two other outfielders, Ralph Garr and Reggie Smith, and first baseman-designated hitter Andre Thornton.
Gary was selected by the Giants out of San Fernando High School in the 1968 MLB Draft, the 17th player taken overall. His son, Gary Jr., played in the Majors with seven different teams.
The National League Rookie of the Year in 1973, Matthews wound up with a 16-year career in the Majors: San Francisco Giants (1972-76), Atlanta Braves (1977-80), Phillies (1981-83), Chicago Cubs (1984-87) and Seattle Mariners (1987). He had a .281 career batting average, including 234 homers and 987 RBIs, a total of 2,011 hits in 2,033 games and the most strikeouts he had in any season was 97.
The Phillies acquired him from Atlanta on March 25, 1981, for right-hander Bob Walk. Three years later in Spring Training, he was part of a five-player trade with the Cubs.
Following his playing career, Gary worked in private industry before joining the Cubs organization as a Minor League hitting instructor (1995-97). He spent seven seasons as a Major League coach: Toronto Blue Jays hitting coach (1998-99); Milwaukee Brewers hitting coach (2000); and Cubs hitting coach (2003-04) and first-base coach (2005-06).
The Sarge spent seven seasons as a color analyst for Phillies broadcasts (2007-13). His previous broadcasting experience included two seasons as a radio broadcaster for the Blue Jays (2000-01) and serving as a baseball analyst on Headline Sports Television, a Canadian cable network based in Toronto.
One of the most memorable personalities in Phillies history, The Sarge was named a club ambassador following the 2013 season. In his role, Gary works with the Phillies' community outreach program in charitable endeavors, as well as visiting suites at Citizens Bank Park during games and attending sponsorship events.
Postseason
The Sarge played in four different postseason series: 1981 (NLDS), 1983 (NLCS, WS) with the Phillies and 1984 (NLCS) Cubs.
He was the offensive force when the Phillies beat the Dodgers to reach the World Series in 1983. During the four-game series, he hit three homers, drove in eight runs and hit .429 .The Sarge was chosen as the NLCS MVP and interviewed in the Phillies' clubhouse by NBC’s Len Berman after the game. Currently, such announcements are made during postgame ceremonies on the field.
Overall, he recorded seven homers, 15 RBIs and batted .323 in 19 postseason games.
Philly Connection
Thornton also has Philadelphia connections, a graduate of Phoenixville Area High School who attended Cheyney University. He was signed by the Phillies as an amateur free agent following the 1967 Draft. The Phils traded him, along with Joe Hoerner, to Atlanta for pitchers Jim Nash and Gary Neibauer on June 15, 1972.
He played five seasons in the Phillies Minor Leagues. His 26 home runs led the 1967 Reading Phillies. His teammates included Bob Boone, Mike Rogodzinski and Mike Schmidt.
His big league career spanned from 1973-87 with the Cubs (four seasons), Expos (one) and Cleveland Indians (10). He hit .253 with 254 home runs (six 20-home run seasons). He was also a two-time All-Star (1982 and 1984). Andre also won the Silver Slugger Award (1984) as a designated hitter for Cleveland.
Thornton was a 2007 inductee in the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame.