Greg Maddux

Lore & Background

Gregory Alan Maddux was born on April 14, 1966, in San Angelo, Texas, and spent much of his childhood in Madrid, Spain, where the United States Air Force stationed his father. His father exposed him to baseball at an early age. Upon his return to Las Vegas, Nevada, Maddux and his brother Mike, who also became a pro player, trained under the supervision of Ralph Meder, a former scout from the majors. Meder preached the value of movement and location above velocity, and advised throwing softer when in a jam instead of harder. Maddux would later say, 'I believed it. I don't know why. I just did.' Though Meder died before Maddux graduated from Valley High School in Las Vegas in 1984, he instilled a firm foundation that would anchor Maddux's future career. At Valley High, he was teammates on the school's baseball team with future Major League pitcher Steve Chitren and helped lead the school to a state championship as a junior in 1983. While in Las Vegas, he played American Legion Baseball with Post 8. He was named the organization's Graduate of the Year in 1984. His brother, Mike, was drafted in 1982. When scouts went to observe the elder Maddux, their father, Dave, told them, 'You will be back later for the little one.' Some baseball scouts were unimpressed by Maddux's skinny build, but Chicago Cubs scout Doug Mapson saw past the physique. Mapson wrote a glowing review that read in part, 'I really believe this boy would be the number one player in the country if only he looked a bit more physical.'

In Their Own Story

The air at Wrigley Field hung heavy with the scent of cut grass and summer humidity. It was late July, and the stands were packed, a sea of blue and red waiting for the magic to unfold. Greg Maddux stood on the rubber, his movements economical, almost lazy, yet radiating an intense focus. He didn't wind up; he simply shifted his weight and delivered. A fastball, barely touching 88 mph, slipped past the batter's outside corner, inducing a weak pop-up that drifted harmlessly into shortstop's glove. The crowd murmured in appreciation rather than gasped at power. Maddux caught the ball, tapped the mound with his cleat, and signaled for the next pitch. He knew exactly where every hitter wanted to hit the ball before they even stepped into the box. In that moment, under the afternoon sun filtering through the ivy-covered walls, he wasn't just a pitcher; he was an architect of chaos, building an inning one perfectly placed stitch at a time.

Reader's Guide

The Chicago Cubs selected Maddux in the second round of the 1984 Major League Baseball draft and he chose to sign in lieu of honoring a commitment to play college baseball at the University of Arizona. He made his major league debut on September 3, 1986, the conclusion of the September 2 game which had been postponed due to darkness (lights were not installed at Wrigley Field until 1988). At the time, Maddux was the youngest player in the majors. His first appearance in a major league game was as a pinch runner (for catcher Jody Davis) in the 17th inning against the Houston Astros. Maddux then pitched in the 18th inning, allowing a home run to Billy Hatcher and taking the loss. His first start, five days later, was a complete game win. In his fifth and final start of 1986, Maddux defeated his older brother, who was pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies, marking the first time rookie brothers had pitched against each other. In 1987, his first full season in the majors, Maddux struggled significantly. Entering his start on July 8 against the San Diego Padres, Maddux was warned that if he did not get the win in what was his eighteenth start of the season, he would be sent back to Triple-A. In the bottom of the third inning, Padres starter Eric Show hit Cubs star Andre Dawson in the face with a pitch that triggered a bench-clearing brawl. In the home dugout, Maddux made up his mind to retaliate when the Padres came to bat. However, because the game was not yet official, and retaliation would likely result in ejection from the game, Maddux would receive an automatic no-decision. Cubs ace Rick Sutcliffe tried to talk Maddux out of his intentions, reminding him of his impending demotion. Sutcliffe recalled Maddux looking back at him with tears in his eyes, saying that he did not care; with two outs in the top of the fourth, Maddux got his revenge by hitting Padres catcher Benito Santiago. Although he was ejected, the Cubs kept Maddux on the roster for several weeks before sending him down; he was quickly recalled after going undefeated in three starts for the Iowa Cubs with an ERA of 0.98, but finished his initial season in Chicago with six wins against fourteen losses and an ERA above 5.00. Maddux rebounded to make his first All-Star appearance in 1988, winning eighteen games, and then established himself as the Cubs' ace in 1989, winning 19 games, including a Se

Did You Know?

• Maddux is the only pitcher in MLB history to win at least 15 games for 17 straight seasons.
• He holds the record for most Gold Gloves by any player with 18.
• Maddux is the only pitcher to record more than 300 wins, more than 3,000 strikeouts, and fewer than 1,000 walks (exactly 999 walks overall).
• In 2012, writer Jason Lukehart coined the term 'Maddux' to describe when a pitcher throws a complete game shutout in fewer than 100 pitches; Maddux holds the record for most times accomplishing this feat (13) since pitch