Matthews has broadcast for the Royals since their inception in 1969, when he was the sidekick to Bud Blattner. Blattner retired in 1974, and Matthews has been the Royals' top broadcaster since then. From 1974 to 1998 – a stretch that includes the best seasons in the Royals' history – Matthews was paired with Fred White. In 1999, the two also teamed up to write a book called "Play by Play: 25 Years of Royals on Radio", which recounts anecdotes from those seasons. Matthews also called baseball events for the national CBS Radio network in the 1980s.