On this day in 1966, one of the greatest players in Milwaukee baseball history moved on to a new team. The Braves (who had moved to Atlanta one year earlier) traded third baseman Eddie Mathews to the Astros as part of a five player deal. Mathews was 35 and had just finished his 15th major league season. He was the only player who appeared in games for the Boston, Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves.
The Braves' first season in Milwaukee was a breakout year for Mathews. He led the NL with 47 home runs in his second full season and set a career high with 135 RBI. He made his first of nine All Star appearances that season.
All told, Mathews played in 92.3% of all games played during the Braves' 13 seasons in Milwaukee, hitting .277/.385/.528 over that stretch with 452 home runs. If not for Hank Aaron, he'd almost certainly be the greatest player in Milwaukee Braves history.
Mathews split two more major league years between the Astros and Tigers before retiring following the 1968 season. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1978 and is still among the top 100 all time in each of these categories:
| Stat | Number | Rank |
| Home Runs | 521 | 21st |
| Walks | 1444 | 23rd |
| RBI | 1453 | 57th |
| Runs | 1509 | 66th |
| Slugging | .509 | 75th |