Gregory Alan Maddux (born April 14, 1966 in San Angelo, Texas, USA) is a right-handed baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs. He is generally thought of as being one of the greatest pitchers in the history of Major League Baseball. He is one of only 22 pitchers in Major League history to notch 300 career wins.

Greg was drafted in the second round of the 1984 amateur draft by the Cubs, making his Major League debut in September 1986 after some time in the minor leagues. After spending seven seasons in Chicago, Maddux signed with the Atlanta Braves in 1993 as a free agent, and starred for the team through 2003. In his time with the Braves he pitched in four World Series, his team winning one in 1995. He returned to the Cubs as a free agent prior to the 2004 season.

He was the first Major Leaguer to earn over $100,000,000 in salary in a career.

During his brief 1986 call-up, Maddux defeated his older brother, Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Mike Maddux, marking the first time rookie brothers had ever pitched against each other. In 1987, his first full season in the Majors, Maddux finished with a disappointing 6-14 record and 5.61 ERA. In 1988, Maddux surprised the league by finishing 18-8 with a 3.18 ERA. This began a streak of 17 straight seasons in which Maddux recorded 15 or more wins. No other pitcher has achieved such a streak.

Maddux's tenure with the Braves allowed him to pitch alongside Tom Glavine and John Smoltz. The three of them formed the core of some of the best pitching staffs in the history of the game, and were a large measure of the reason for the Braves winning 12 straight division titles while he was pitching for them.

Maddux is a right-handed pitcher known for his pinpoint accuracy and his ability to psyche out hitters. Maddux's best season was arguably in 1995 when he finished 19-2 with an incredible 1.63 ERA in a year when the overall National League ERA was 4.23. In the strike-shortened 1994 season, he had an even lower ERA of 1.56, which compared even more favorably to the NL in that year (4.26), but had a 16-6 record. His career ERA is 2.95, second among all active pitchers. Another strength is his defense, and he is known for his ability to field his position well. On November 14, 2002, he won his 13th straight Gold Glove award, and added a 14th award in 2004. Maddux also won four straight Cy Young Awards from 1992 to 1995. In 2003, he earned a salary of $14,750,000. His new deal with the Cubs will pay him $8 million in 2004 and includes $8 million per year clauses that automatically go into effect for 2005 and 2006 if he pitches 200 or more innings in those years.

On August 7, 2004, Maddux defeated the San Francisco Giants, 8-4, to garner his 300th career victory.

Maddux, whose nicknames include "The Mad Dog" and "The Professor", is an avid golfer.

During the construction of the Olympic Stadium in Atlanta, which was converted into Turner Field after the 1996 Summer Olympics, the Braves front office challenged the golden trio of Braves starters (Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz) to win the World Series in 1995 by saying that if they did, a putting green would be installed in the locker room at Turner Field.

Teams

• Chicago Cubs (1986-1992, 2004-present)
• Atlanta Braves (1993-2003)

External links