Greg Maddux facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Greg Maddux |
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Maddux in 2009
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| Pitcher | |||
| Born: April 14, 1966 San Angelo, Texas, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| September 3, 1986, for the Chicago Cubs | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| September 27, 2008, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 355–227 | ||
| Earned run average | 3.16 | ||
| Strikeouts | 3,371 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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 Baseball Hall of Fame |
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| Induction | 2014 | ||
| Vote | 97.2% (first ballot) | ||
Greg Maddux (born April 14, 1966) is a famous American former professional baseball pitcher. He played for 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), mostly with the Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs. People called him "Mad Dog" and "the Professor" because of how smart he was on the field.
Maddux won the 1995 World Series with the Braves. He was the first pitcher in MLB history to win the Cy Young Award four years in a row (1992–1995). This award goes to the best pitcher in each league. During those four years, Maddux had an amazing record of 75 wins and only 29 losses. His earned run average (ERA) was super low at 1.98, meaning he allowed very few runs.
Many people think Maddux is one of the best pitchers ever. He is the only pitcher in MLB history to win at least 15 games for 17 seasons in a row. He also holds the record for the most Gold Gloves by any player, with 18. A Gold Glove is given to the best defensive player at each position. Maddux was known for his amazing control when pitching. He won more games than any other pitcher in the 1990s. He is 8th on the all-time list for career wins with 355.
Maddux is one of only ten pitchers to have both 300 wins and 3,000 strikeouts. What makes him unique is that he's the only one of these pitchers to have fewer than 1,000 walks (he had exactly 999). After he stopped playing, Maddux worked as a special assistant for the Cubs and Texas Rangers. In 2014, he was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
A special baseball term, "Maddux", was named after him. It describes when a pitcher throws a complete game shutout (meaning the other team scores no runs) using fewer than 100 pitches. Maddux holds the record for doing this 13 times since pitch counts started being tracked in 1988.
Contents
Early Life and Baseball Beginnings
Maddux was born in San Angelo, Texas. He spent a lot of his childhood in Madrid, Spain, because his father was in the United States Air Force there. His dad introduced him to baseball when he was very young.
When he returned to Las Vegas, Nevada, Maddux and his brother Mike (who also became a professional player) trained with Ralph Meder. Meder was a former scout who taught them that movement and accuracy were more important than throwing super fast. He even told them to throw softer when they were in a tough spot. Maddux believed him, and this advice helped shape his career.
Maddux played baseball at Valley High School in Las Vegas. He helped his team win a state championship in 1983. Even though some scouts thought Maddux was too skinny, Chicago Cubs scout Doug Mapson saw his talent. Mapson wrote that Maddux could be the best player in the country if he looked a bit stronger.
Professional Career Highlights
Starting with the Chicago Cubs (1986–1992)
The Chicago Cubs picked Maddux in the 1984 MLB draft. He decided to sign with them instead of going to college. He made his first major league appearance on September 3, 1986. He was the youngest player in the majors at the time. His first game was actually as a pinch runner! He then pitched in the same game and took a loss. Five days later, he won his first start. In one of his first games, he even pitched against his older brother, Mike, who was playing for the Philadelphia Phillies.
In 1987, Maddux had a tough season. He was told he might be sent to a lower league if he didn't win his next game. During that game, a fight broke out, and Maddux decided to hit a batter on the other team on purpose. He was kicked out of the game, but the Cubs kept him on the team for a while. He later improved a lot.
Maddux became an All-Star in 1988. In 1989, he won 19 games and helped the Cubs win their division. He started a playoff game, but it didn't go well. After that game, he always covered his mouth with his glove when talking on the mound. He thought an opposing player might have read his lips to know what pitch was coming!
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In 1992, Maddux won 20 games and his first Cy Young Award. After seven seasons with the Cubs, he signed a big contract with the Atlanta Braves.
Dominating with the Atlanta Braves (1993–2003)
Maddux joined the Braves in 1993 and immediately showed how good he was. He finished the season with 20 wins and led the NL with a 2.36 ERA. He won his second straight Cy Young Award. The Braves had an amazing group of pitchers, including Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz.
In the 1994 season, which was shorter due to a strike, Maddux had an incredible ERA of 1.56. This was one of the lowest ERAs in baseball history! He also led the league in wins and innings pitched, winning his third Cy Young.
The 1995 season was even better. Maddux had 19 wins and an ERA of 1.63. He became the first pitcher in a long time to have two seasons in a row with an ERA under 1.80. He even threw 51 innings in a row without walking a single batter! Maddux pitched great in the playoffs, helping the Atlanta Braves win their first World Series championship. After this season, he won his fourth straight Cy Young Award, which is a major league record.
From 1996 to 1998, Maddux continued to be one of the best pitchers in baseball. He signed a large contract extension in 1997, making him the highest-paid player in baseball at the time. His performance stayed strong, with many wins each year.
On July 22, 1997, Maddux threw a complete game using only 78 pitches. This shows how efficient and accurate he was. He allowed only 20 walks in all of 1997. In 1998, he had over 200 strikeouts for the only time in his career.
In 1999, the Braves went to the World Series again, but they lost to the New York Yankees. In 2000, Maddux broke a record for most putouts by a pitcher. He also had a streak of over 40 scoreless innings. In 2001, he threw two 1-0 shutouts in the same month. He also went 72 innings without giving up a walk. In 2002, he won his 13th straight Gold Glove Award, setting a new record.
Maddux often had his own personal catcher, like Eddie Pérez, who would catch most of his games. The trio of Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz was the heart of the Braves' pitching staff for over ten years. They helped the team win their division every year Maddux was there.
Back with the Chicago Cubs (2004–2006)
Maddux returned to the Cubs in 2004. On August 7, he earned his 300th career victory. On July 26, 2005, he reached another big milestone by getting his 3,000th strikeout. He became only the ninth pitcher to have both 300 wins and 3,000 strikeouts. Maddux is one of only four pitchers to reach 3,000 strikeouts while giving up fewer than 1,000 walks.
In 2005, Maddux had his first losing record since 1987, ending a streak of 17 seasons with 15 or more wins.
Time with the Los Angeles Dodgers (2006)
In the middle of 2006, Maddux was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He pitched very well for them, helping them get into the playoffs. He won his 330th career game, moving him up to 10th on the all-time wins list. He also won his 18th season with 15 or more wins, breaking a record he shared with Cy Young. He won a Fielding Bible Award for being the best fielding pitcher in MLB in 2006.
Playing for the San Diego Padres (2007–2008)
Maddux signed with the San Diego Padres in 2007. He earned his 338th win in the same game that Trevor Hoffman got his 500th save. On August 24, 2007, he won his 343rd game, moving him to ninth place all-time. He also became the only pitcher in the major leagues to have 20 seasons in a row with at least 10 wins. Maddux won a record 17th Gold Glove award in 2007. In 2008, he won his 350th game. He also became the oldest pitcher to steal a base at 42 years old!
Final Stint with the Los Angeles Dodgers (2008)
Maddux was traded back to the Los Angeles Dodgers in August 2008. He pitched his 5,000th career inning on September 19. In his final start of the season, he won his 355th game, putting him in 8th place for all-time wins. He finished his career with 3,371 strikeouts and only 999 walks.
After the Dodgers won their division, Maddux moved to the bullpen for the playoffs. He received his 18th Gold Glove Award in November 2008, extending his own major league record. He announced his retirement in December.
After Playing Baseball
After retiring, Maddux continued to be involved in baseball. In 2010, he was hired by the Chicago Cubs as an assistant to the General Manager. He focused on helping young pitchers develop their skills. In 2012, he joined the Texas Rangers organization, where his brother Mike was the pitching coach.
He was also the pitching coach for the USA team in the 2013 World Baseball Classic. In 2016, he became a special assistant for the Dodgers. He also worked as an assistant baseball coach for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where his son, Chase, was a pitcher. In 2023, he rejoined the Texas Rangers as a special assistant for Spring Training.
Pitching Style and Strategy
Maddux was known for his incredible control, calm attitude, and smart thinking to outsmart hitters. Even though his fastball was fast when he was young, it wasn't his main focus. By the end of his career, his fastball was slower, but he still got batters out. He was famous for the late movement on his sinker (a type of fastball), which made it hard for batters to hit. This also made him a great groundball pitcher, meaning batters often hit the ball on the ground.
Maddux often focused on throwing pitches to the outside corner of the plate. He would start by throwing fastballs there, then use his changeup to make the strike zone seem even bigger. He also had a special trick where he would throw his two-seam fastball inside to left-handed hitters, and it would curve back over the inside corner for a strike.
He was also known for throwing strikes and avoiding walks, which kept his pitch counts low. This allowed him to pitch deeper into games. For example, in one game in 1997, he pitched nine innings, allowed only three hits, and threw only 84 pitches! Baseball Hall of Famer Wade Boggs said facing Maddux was like he was "inside your mind."
Maddux studied hitters very carefully before his games. He would watch their practice swings or their body language to understand what they were thinking. His teammate Tom Glavine said Maddux was great at adjusting to hitters during a game.
Maddux also had excellent pitching mechanics, which helped him avoid serious arm injuries. He was a very durable pitcher, leading the National League in innings pitched five years in a row. He pitched at least 194 innings for 21 seasons in a row.
Awards and Recognition
Besides his pitching skills, Maddux was an amazing fielder. He won 18 Gold Gloves, which is a record for any position in baseball. He won 10 with the Braves, 5 with the Cubs, 2 with the Dodgers, and 1 with the Padres. Maddux was also a good hitter for a pitcher, with a career batting average of .171. He hit 5 home runs and had 84 RBIs.
Maddux played in many playoff games, including 5 World Series games. He had a great 2.09 ERA in World Series innings. He was chosen for the National League All-Star team eight times.
Maddux won 20 games only twice, but he won 19 games five times and 18 games twice. He led the NL in ERA four times and in shutouts five times. He holds the major league record for leading his league in games started (7 seasons). He also holds the record for most seasons finishing in the top 10 in wins (18 seasons).
In 2009, the Cubs retired his jersey number 31 to honor him and Ferguson Jenkins. The Atlanta Braves also retired his number 31 on July 17, 2009.
On January 8, 2014, Maddux was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He chose not to have a team logo on his plaque, saying it was impossible to pick between the Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs because the fans of both teams were so wonderful.
Personal Life
Greg Maddux was born on April 14, 1966. He is married to Kathy, and they have two children: a daughter named Paige and a son named Chase. They live in Las Vegas.
Images for kids
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Maddux in the dugout in 2008
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Greg Maddux's retired number 31 with the Chicago Cubs
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Greg Maddux's retired number 31 with the Atlanta Braves
See also
In Spanish: Greg Maddux para niños
