Something I missed out on was witnessing the greatness of Greg Maddux pitch a baseball. Perhaps an ancient race of subterranean cave people would have emerged and taken over the planet. He was terrific in Des Moines, but was even worse when they called him back. Keep in mind that this data only goes back to 1988, so we must adjust batters faced to 19,576 and intentional walks to 162. Clearly, things worked out fine for the Yankees, who won four championships during Madduxs 11-year tenure with the Braves. As Clark remembers it, Mitchell asked him, What are you going to look for?, I said, Well, I was gonna look fastball in, anyway. As a child, Dave Maddux began teaching his son how to play baseball. His first and biggest love is baseball. He pitched complete games in much less than two hours without ever throwing one eye-popping pitch. When he came down, I asked him how it felt to be hypnotized. Which originally was the team I wanted to go to, before I went to New York.. He threw a three-hit shutout to kick things off in Atlanta. Maddux spent most of his childhood growing up in Madrid, Spain because his father was stationed there while in the Air Force. The Braves beat the Cubs 4-1 in two hours and seven minutes. Will Clark demonstrated as much during the 1989 National League Championship Series, when he locked his gaze on Greg Maddux during a mound visit and saw him mouth the magic words fastball in before turning on an inside fastball for a tone-setting Game 1 grand slam. Do I even need to tell you what a thrill it is to sit down with Greg Maddux and talk pitching? He was throwing confidence. We cant know for sure how many of the 1986-87 hitters faced a 30 count, but chances are good that the percentage is greater than or equal to his subsequent seasons in Chicago. Still, there was a meme that packages statistics of Madduxs career that arent really talked about. One year we went to Hawaii. The last 10 feet, he says. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Throwing 4 seam two seam that sinks . My favorite part of pitching, Maddux said, well, there are lots of favorite parts, really. Gwynn struck out 434 times in 10,232 plate appearances. One reason was his pinpoint control, with his ability to notch front-corner strikes leading to claims that umpires gave him a much wider strike zone than the rest of the league. That's what pitchers have to do to win games. Maybe its this: I love baseball, and I love sleight-of-hand magic, and Maddux was the closest thing Ive seen to a bridge between the two. You hear all this talk about cheating in baseball. He kept going he got a complete-game victory against the Expos. I could probably throw harder if I wanted, but why? We've received your submission. I knew he threw a two seam and a changeup. Perhaps Jurassic Park wouldn't have been a movie, but an actual real and terrifying event. You kind of go there to sign the contract and everything. Instead of doing 5 good pitches an inning, try to make six. Hall of Famer Greg Maddux is one of the greatest pitchers of the Live Ball Era. This year, if I throw 100 pitches, Im throwing between 20 and 30 curveballs. In their regular-season battles, Clark was 11 for 46 (.239) against Maddux with one homer, six walks, 13 strikeouts and a .709 OPS. His feature story on Sergio Romo and a young cancer patient won first place in feature writing from the Associated Press Sports Editors in 2015. They won the World Series in 1996, 1998, and 1999, and then they added another ring in 2000. At this point, it's worth noting that Maddux around the time of his Hall of Fame election in early 2014 advanced a slightly different version of events. In typical Maddux form, he only walked 92 hitters in 574 innings and 11 of those were intentional. Analysts continually said his fastball topped out at 84 or 85 mph, for instance. What is it that pitching coaches always say? Greg Maddux got to see that firsthand. 177 of those were intentional walks," the meme reads. I'd rather try and not win than not try at all., I was under the impression I had signed a three-year contract. Now a member of the Atlanta Braves, Maddux was on the verge of tying a major-league record with his 16th consecutive road victory. At his peak, he threw in the low-90s with regularity. 1991 Upper Deck Baseball Cards Wax Pack: Find the Nolans! Evan Thompson is a member of the Roland Hemond (AZ) Chapter of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). He never had a pitch that you would rank among the greatest of all time if you were ranking the top 20 or top 50 fastballs or sliders or curveballs or change-ups, you probably wouldnt put Maddux on any of those lists. Greg Maddux is my favorite pitcher of all time. But it still managed to end up in the basket. You told me what was coming, man!'. 22, someone really ought to deliver a speech while shielding their face with a baseball glove. Across his 23-year MLB career, the first-ballot Hall of Famer stacked up 355 wins; four Cy Young awards; more than. In terms of strategic mistakes, Zimmers biggest one was standing a mere 5-foot-9. I didnt know whether he was going to take Maddux out, Clark said. "It might be the last time we ever see 300," Kasten says. It's about winning. "Greg Maddux faced 20,421 batters during his career and only 310 saw a 3-0 count. One medical emergency could have dramatically changed the landscape of baseball in the 1990s. I recently purchased what I believe to be one of Greg Maddux's rarest card, his 1988 Canon Photocard. One reason was his pinpoint control, with his ability to notch front-corner strikes leading to claims that umpires gave him a much wider strike zone than the rest of the league. The Giants won the NLCS in five games. Cookie Notice This statement further cements his reputation as a control artist. Perhaps more, though. But he said Mitchell let it slip to a few Giants teammates, who let it slip to a few beat writers. Then he went to St. Louis and pitched well again. Doing the math shows us that only 3.2% of all hitters to face Greg Maddux from 1988 onward saw a 30 count, and one fourth of those were intentional walks. Then in late December Maddux surprisingly and without warning accepted arbitration. You can always do more of what you are doing well and try to be as consistent as you can be. -- Greg Maddux, When people say (nice) things you take them as compliments and it's nice, but it won't help you win your next game. If someone can be nice enough to get a picture of the pitches he throw and maybe a video of the pitch in action would be nice. Greg Maddux had every intention to sign with the Yankees in 1992, but he says he never received a contract offer because one of the Yankee front office members had a heart attack (via @ToeingTheSlab) pic.twitter.com/fz6qo05A8J Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) January 18, 2022 After retiring, Maddux is almost assured a spot in the Hall of Fame. I expect to be back. The men battled back and forth until the count was full. Gregory Alan Maddux was born on April 14, 1966, to parents Linda and Dave Maddux in San Angelo, Texas. Some said it was an earthquake, others just leaky pipes, while some even reported seeing phantom members of the baseball world floating about in their bedrooms. For the next eleven years, Maddux would dominate the game like no one else. But while the stories may have overstated things for effect, it is certainly true that Maddux did not work with those one or two death-defying pitches that have marked the greatest pitchers ever. All Rights Reserved. Maddux, famously, has a near-photographic memory for pitch sequencing, but he was in no position to confirm or deny much about how he approached Clark in Game 1 of the NLCS. It's hard to know what people really expect of you, and I've never tried to live up to expectations anyway. I always felt like you cant win the game on seven or eight pitches, but you sure can lose it. If you look five columns to the left of where I highlighted his total batters faced, youll see he intentionally walked 177 batters over the course of his career. Somewhere along the line, Maddux saw because hes a big studier of the game he had to have seen someone where he could read their lips. A handful of circumstances have chipped away at his confidence . Thats what worked for me. But it perfectly suited Madduxs personality. He had to be able to see someone where he could see exactly what they said and I guarantee, he was like, forget that, they aint reading my lips.. Maddux thought it hit a ghost. Obviously, it's more fun when you win. And thats why I wasnt made an offer. Braves fans? Theres a legend my favorite legend, not least because its definitely true that after he won his 17th Gold Glove, breaking Jim Kaats record, he got a congratulatory message from Kaat. 1987 DONRUSS #36 GREG MADDUX RC CUBS HOF PSA 10 DNA AUTO 10 B1022074-408. The Giants led 4-3 and had the bases loaded with two out. Every day we present the best quotes! The right-hander used a combination of location and changing speeds to keep hitters off balance rather than blow them away with high velocity. According to Bill Madden of the New York Daily News, the Yankees and then-GM Gene Michael not only made Maddux an offer but also promised him more than the Braves did -- $37.5 million over that same five-year span. He suggested it may have started with Mark Fidrych, but was mostly kidding, since Fidrych spoke so demonstrably to the baseball that you could read his lips from space. As for American League history, you'll recall that the decade of the 1990s still unfolded quite nicely for the Yankees. He went to a 3-0 count to five batters in 1997. I pitched just good enough to lose., I take golf trips with my brother or with friends. Bowas quote, as you will see, foreshadows what would make Greg Maddux unlike any other pitcher in the history of baseball. "I don't even think about. I'd rather try and not win than not try at all. That's what you do to pitch. Greg Maddux is indubitably one of the greatest pitchers ever to toe the slab. And the first pitch was a fastball in, Clark said. Maybe its that baseball isnt always fair? I never thought of it, really. Daniel Brown is a staff editor/writer for The Athletic MLB. But he heard conflicting voices in his head. So how many batters probably saw a 30 count in 1986 and 1987? By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. In all, this project will contain roughly as many words as Moby Dick. Yes, we know its nutty. So Im looking right at the conference on the mound to figure out whats gonna happen.. Maddux was coming off the final year of his run with the Cubs in 92, in which he won his first Cy Young Award. He never felt like he was throwing baseballs out there. Yours too, I assume. Liked by Greg Maddux. The pitches were nothing special, Bernie Williams insisted. There is no special food or anything like that, I just try to make quality pitches and try to be prepared each time I go out there. -- Greg Maddux, What has benefited me the most is learning I can't control what happens outside of my pitching. -- Greg Maddux, The best pitchers have a short term memory and a bullet proof confidence., The reason I think I'm a good pitcher is I locate my fastball and I change speeds. Right: .215/.242/.302. We usually go to Pebble or Bandon Dunes. Still, he knows Clarks version of events, about how the first baseman glimpsed the coming attractions straight from the pitchers mouth. Diamondbacks pitching coach Brent Strom saw a photo from a mound visit he made in 2020 and realized he might have gone a bit overboard. That's what you do to pitch. Then I see somebody else covering their mouth. So what does it mean to steal a strike? 6-keys: media/spln/mlb/reg/free/stories, By pressing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the. So thats kind of where that started, Maddux said. But this was part of the magic he wasnt trying to make any of those lists. How would he feel then? I mean, the conversations with Zim were usually just to kill time to get the bullpen ready, he said. I would tell our fans, He doesnt have halitosis. I just do it with my body facing the field, so everybody thinks I'm paying attention. In other words, the last pitch of the plate appearance came on a 30 count. On Monday, ESPNs Ethan Strauss reminded us about a fantastic quote that Maddux once had about Gwynn that summed up his sensational career. It was like someone letting the air out of your balloon, Maddux would say. I think that was one of those games where if he got it up in the air, it was going out.. There is a legend that once Maddux was sitting in the dugout watching the game closely. What? By the time I became a baseball fan in the early 2000s, he was older and less effective. When statistics are presented to talk about how really great Maddux was, the deserved response is yep, he sure was great!. In 293 of those, the batter walked; 153 were intentional. We could spend all day listing Gwynns mind-boggling career achievements. Maybe. Note: Portions of this series were adapted from previous work that originated on my personal blog. " Greg Maddux 2. That would make the count 0-1 and do you know what batters hit against Maddux in their careers when behind 0-1? Across his 23 seasons, he walked 999 hitters. And among pitchers since 1950 with at least 200 innings, Maddux had four separate seasons where his BB/9 are in the top 15 of all-time. His brain wouldnt reach its prime until years later. This may sound pretty typical for Maddux in his heyday the guy threw a lot of shutout. I try to keep as simple as possible. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. I couldnt ask for a more routine ball, Sandberg would say. Exactly, Clark said. He never forgot it. Its not college I didnt go there just for a recruiting trip. No, he is not haunted by the moment. And Maddux knew it. Do not let the reality fool you this is still nothing short of amazing. I mean, obviously, this is a big reason I loved the guy, a big reason you loved the guy his entire career overflows with these legendary stories that are particularly his. 7th inning: One groundout, two strikeouts The thing I am trying to keep in mind is that relying on my past performance will not make me win my next game, it'll only get in my way., I'd rather try and not win than not try at all, Oh, poor me (jokingly, after being told that Randy Johnson & Pedro Martinez would make more in 2003 than he would). But if a pitcher can change speeds, every hitter is helpless, limited by human vision. Hudler, the ballplayer turned broadcaster, gets extra insight during his new life in the booth. The pitches were right there! Will Clarks jersey will be retired by the Giants on Saturday, and it makes sense that it will happen before a game against the Chicago Cubs. If we apply that percentage to the 845 batters he faced in his first two seasons, that makes 43.6, which rounds up to 44. Yes, Maddux recalls the Game 1 performance in which Clark went 4 for 4 with six RBIs. 6th inning: Two groundouts, one a double play I just throw my fastball (to) both sides of the plate and change speed every now and then. I go up to into home plate and dig my hole my little foot hole I normally do. He released his first book, Volume I of A Complete History of the Major League Baseball Playoffs, in October of 2021. Instead of having to look over 17 inches of home plate, Im looking over four inches of home plate, and Im looking for one pitch in one little spot. I mean, I have no idea how Maddux isnt everybodys favorite pitcher ever. The thing I am trying to keep in mind is that relying on my past performance will not make me win my next game, it'll only get in my way. Writer Jason Lukehart invented the statistic in 2012 and named it after his favorite baseball player, Greg Maddux. The Thrill was already 2 for 2 off Maddux in Game 1, having doubled in a run in the first inning and hitting a solo homer in the third. The funny thing is, as he peered out to the mound during that fourth-inning at-bat, Clark wasnt trying to break the code of how Maddux might pitch to him. That's what pitchers have to do to win games". It dropped to 4.9% in 1993 and was only higher than 5% in one of his remaining seasons (2002). Obviously, it's more fun when you win. The problem with the meme is that its not totally correct. Consistency is something you can always improve on. Baseball News, Analysis, History, Schedule, Rumors. It means that there are 312 plate appearances that ended on a 30 count. This is what his average season in Atlanta looked like: 18-8, 230 IP, 6 CG, 166 SO, 35 BB, 2.63 ERA. I just do it with my body facing the field, so everybody thinks I'm paying attention., Regardless of where you're pitching, regardless of what goes on before or after your game, you still have to be ready., There are a lot of shots in golf I can't hit, but I try to hit them anyway. Maddux was a maestro 82 pitches, 62 strikes, two strikeouts, no walks, a ground-ball symphony. You tell a legendary story about Koufax, and it will involve a game, surely a World Series game, when he was utterly invincible. There is a mistake in the text of this quote. When they're in a jam, a lot of pitcherstry to throw harder. I know, he would say, that hes not going to swing at a breaking ball for the first strike. I guess I'll have to get a second job. -- Greg Maddux, I would love to try to win another game. 1. SPONSORED. Many see 30 count and notice that there are 312 plate appearances (PA) something the original meme creator might have rounded down to 310. According to Baseball-reference.coms Play Index, 312 batters experienced 30 counts against Maddux, no less. And hes quite a bit shorter than Maddux (who is 6 feet), plus (Zimmer) is on the downslope of the mound. If you are going to get beat, get beat with your best pitch. His best pitch was the fastball. Hes not bragging now, and he certainly didnt brag then. 7/12/08: Greg Maddux becomes the oldest MLB pitcher to steal a base when he reaches on an infield single and then swipes second in 3rd About Major League Baseball: Major League Baseball (MLB). That was my take on it. " The best pitchers have a short term memory and a bullet proof confidence. From 1992-1998, seven seasons, Maddux went 127-53 with a 2.15 ERA, he won four consecutive Cy Young Awards, he led the league in ERA four times, in WHIP four times, in Fielding Independent Pitching four times, in fewest homers per nine four times, in fewest walks per nine three times, in strikeout-to-walk ratio three times its like he ascended the mountaintop and became a pitching flash of light as he connected with the universe. Much of that excellence occurred while Maddux was a member of the Atlanta Braves. Maddux pulled him aside, as Martin recalled, and suggested the games would go smoother if Martin simply set up on the outside corner and called no pitches. Nobody did it. His respect for Maddux is profound. If you go back and look at Greg Maddux clips on YouTube and by all means, you should do that right now because its really fun you will see a whole lot of called strikes that are not, by todays baseball definition, actually strikes. The baseball world was mourning the passing of one of its most beloved players on Monday, as San Diego Padres legend Tony Gwynn lost his battle with cancer at the age of 54. Atlanta Braves pitchers Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux taught us that in a commercial 20 years ago and it still rings true today. and our The thing I am trying to keep in mind is that relying on my past performance will not make me win my next game, it'll only get in my way. -- Greg Maddux, I'd rather try and not win than not try at all -- Greg Maddux, Oh, poor me (jokingly, after being told that Randy Johnson & Pedro Martinez would make more in 2003 than he would). What do I do now? This time, though, the Yankees pitcher and his catcher, Jose Trevino, were both wearing microphones for the broadcast. No. You dont think the hitter, Austin Riley, would have loved to have had an earpiece for that at-bat? One year we went to Hawaii. -- Greg Maddux, I only know one way to pitch. " The key to pitching is to have the ability to throw a strike when they're taking and throw a ball when the hitter is swinging. "I went (to New York) to sign with the Yankees," Maddux said on David Cone's Toeing the Slab podcast. If thats not respect, I dont know what is. The Yankees had offered the right-hander $6 million more. One time out of 13 pitches, he missed in a hittable spot. Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe. In this installment of Baseball Mythbusters, we will look at Greg Maddux and the 30 count. But that is a mere speck compared to the veritable Fort Knox Gallo delivered on Wednesday, joining MLB Network to tell the story of the time he pitched a no-hitter and then took Greg Maddux's . There is also a line called Unknown count there are 321 plate appearances where we dont know what the count was on the final pitch. They can identify pitches if there are different release points or if a curveball starts with an upward hump as it leaves the pitchers hand. The Gibsons, the Koufaxes and Drysdales did it with power and intimidation, a befuddled Yankees manager Joe Torre said. Braves Franchise History. Alicea thought the ball hit a hole of some kind. Major League Baseball pitchers are currently on pace to annihilate the all-time record for no-hitters thrown in a single season. He wanted to stay in. This was early in the pandemic, and Strom went out to talk to a pitcher while wearing a mask and still used his hand to cover his mouth. The mound visit just removed all reasonable doubt. Greg Maddux, Robin Roberts, Warren Spahn, Orel Hershiser. Answer (1 of 14): All good answers so far, so I won't repeat the obvious bits: Defense: Pitcher defense is not one of the first hundred things that comes to mind when most people think about baseball. I don't care if we're out of it or not, if I've got a chance to pitch, I want to. Nit-picky? Rex Hudler, the longtime utility dynamo, leans slightly toward the Clark camp They werent doing it before that, he said Wednesday. Think about it: Its a big moment, bases loaded maybe, game on the line maybe, and he throws a pitch exactly where he wants it, one that buckles the hitter, one that sends the crowd into a frenzy, a pitch that may or may not be one inch off the plate. It was seen as a given that Greg Maddux would go into the Hall of Fame wearing the cap of the Atlanta Braves, the team for which he spent the most time and had the most success. Gibson didn't attempt a single steal until his seventh year in the Majors, but he ended his Hall of Fame career with 13 swipes. This leaves 845 batters unaccounted for. Clark launched the first-pitch heater out to right field for a grand slam, and suddenly the rout was on. Theyre professional athletes and theyre paid to hit.. While we remember him now as the bespectacled professor who would simply drop 86 mph fastballs on the corner with such precision we thought he was using a protractor, it's important to remember that the dude could deal, too. Maddux was only 23 . It would be nice to win, too., I don't care if we're out of it or not, if I've got a chance to pitch, I want to., My stuff was all right, but it's not about pitching good. One of the most useful research tools on Baseball Reference is the Splits data. I went there to sign with the Yankees, Maddux said. In 1987, Maddux finished with the worst ERA (5.61) and highest WHIP (1.638) in the National League. March 2, 2008. Maddux left that game disgusted with himself. " Greg Maddux 3. Now say "You'll look the fool and like it!" when Greg Maddux takes the mound He'll get ahead with first-pitch strikes, hit spots to suit his fancy You'll hit like such a little girl . The frustration is not there, because I'm still learning. In Game 2 of the 1996 World Series, he walked to the mound in the first inning at Yankee Stadium with a 1-0 lead, and he promptly put sleeper hold on the Yankees and the city of New York. On Wednesday, Powerade announced a new partnership with the Memphis Grizzlies star Morant, who will serve as the face of their rebranded product. I just throw my fastball (to) both sides of the plate and change speed every now and then. The mystery of Maddux. There was a lesson one only Greg Maddux could understand. That's it. There were 310 batters that faced Maddux in 30 counts, but the creator shouldve added at least two more. Throughout the day, @MLBNetwork is airing its documentary on Mark Fidrych before showing his complete game on June 28, 1976 vs. the Yankees. Instead of doing 5 good pitches an inning, try to make six. 22 years ago today, a great cosmic shift was felt around the world. Wrigleys either the best place in the league to pitch in or the worst. Maddux was famously an excellent fielding pitcher. There is no special food or anything like that, I just try to make quality pitches and try to be prepared each time I go out there. $8.00 shipping. "Even if I hit you, it won't hurt," Maddux the sound guy said to the NL MVP. Still, Maddux is a Hall of Famer and theres no reason to dispute otherwise. Yes, Nestor Cortes raised a glove to shield his face when he spoke, because thats the custom whenever pitchers are protecting vital information on the mound. Despite his first departure, Maddux remained the favorite athlete of thousands, maybe tens of . As Kay noted, the Yankees turned to Jimmy Key in free agency, signing the lefty to a four-year, $17 million deal. If you want to add Bob Gibson, you think high-90s fastball and a slider that buckled the senses. It wasnt Sandbergs fault that the ball took an absurd and unpredictable hop. Pride, who was deaf, spent 11 years in the big leagues, including many games riding the pine. When they're in a jam, a lot of pitcherstry to throw harder. Thats just how it played out Man, Will is the one who taught me how to read lips. That sometimes, even when you get everything just right, things dont work out? A commercial writer with tagline skills that would force even Don Draper to say thank you: And his prank abilities were known far and wide(hint: don't eat the chili): Somewhere, in some alternate universe, Greg Maddux signed with the Yankees or stayed with the Cubs and the entire future would have changed. Gwynn, a Hall of. Until now. Thats just finding a weakness from an opponent and using it to your advantage.. Because I thought I made a halfway decent pitch, or he missed it just enough. And I got it.. Maddux didnt strike Gwynn out a single time NOT ONCE. He gets off the mound. It is, Jim Harbaugh offered a comment recently on the interest he and others have received from NFL teams. Vintage San Diego Padres Lot Tony Gwynn Roberto Alomar Rookie Greg Maddux Mint. I didn't go there just for a recruiting trip. Many of these are pitches are not even all that close they are two, three, four inches off the plate, sometimes more. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. The Baseball Hall of Fame spent 11 . That happened, he said with a laugh. Among pitchers who debuted in 1920 or later, Gibson, Rip Sewell and Greg Maddux are the only three to tally at least 10 stolen bases. But Maddux utterly enthralled me. But they had them. The right-hander, who went 35-19 with a 3.36 ERA in 66 career starts against the Mets . I loved those guys and so many others, but Maddux was a breed apart for reasons that, even now, Im not entirely sure I can put into words. He walked the leadoff hitter of an inning in. The former Atlanta Braves hurler faced Gwynn 107 times during their overlapping Hall-of-Fame careers. Just wondering what did Greg Maddux threw. He got me out a lot of times, too, he said. pic.twitter.com/mcXx0MemJf, Detroit Tigers (@tigers) March 19, 2020. Added at least two more you want to add Bob Gibson, you think fastball! Favorite parts, really Ethan Strauss reminded us about a fantastic quote that Maddux had. Of 13 pitches, Im throwing between 20 and 30 curveballs ; four Cy Young awards ; than! Mistakes, Zimmers biggest one was standing a mere 5-foot-9 be one of the 1990s surprisingly and without warning arbitration! Pitchers have to do to win games confirm that I have no idea how Maddux isnt everybodys favorite of... Appearances that ended on a 30 count wouldnt reach its prime until years later Canon... I was under the impression I had signed a three-year contract once Maddux was sitting the. Has benefited me the most is learning I ca n't control what happens of... 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