Robert T. Mathews (November 21, 1851 – April 17, 1898) was an American right-handed professional baseball pitcher who played in the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players, the National League of Major League Baseball and the American Association for twenty years beginning in the late 1860s.

[1][2] He is listed at 5 feet 5 inches tall and 140 pounds, which is small for a pro athlete even in his time, when the average height of an American male in the mid-19th century was 5 foot 7.

Mathews began his career at the age of 16 for the Marylands of Baltimore (a junior squad) in 1868.

[3] For the 1871 season, he and some other Maryland players signed with the Fort Wayne Kekiongas.

[5] Mathews umpired a few games between 1871 and 1888[5] and signed with the regular staff of the Players' League in 1890, returning to the AA in 1891.