Mathews Hospitalized After Accident

Hall of Fame third baseman Eddie Mathews, involved in a freak boating accident in the Cayman Islands that has left him bed-ridden and often disoriented, is in serious condition at Scripps Hospital in Encinitas, Calif.

Mathews, who hit 512 homers in 17 seasons with the Braves, is suffering from a broken pelvis, pneumonia and a rapid heartbeat, according to his wife, Judy.

“It’s been quite an ordeal,” Judy Mathews said. “He’s disoriented a lot. When you ask him a question, he’ll usually give you a straight answer, but then he starts dreaming things up and saying things off the wall. He can’t eat anything. He can’t stand up or anything.

“I wish I could stay things are going fine and he’ll soon be in rehab, but things are going so slow it’s hard to see much progress.

“It’s going to be a while.”

The accident occurred on a cruise in December, Judy Mathews said.

Mathews, 65, was stepping off a smaller boat when it pulled away and he fell into the water. He was slammed three times by the smaller boat into a concrete pillar. He was rushed to an island hospital and was transported Dec. 5 to a Miami hospital where he remained in intensive care.