The winningest pitcher in the last 50 years, Greg Maddux is the 52nd inductee into the Baseball Hall of Immortals.
He wasn’t flashy; didn’t have an overpowering fastball; didn’t even look like a baseball player. What Greg Maddux had though was unbelievable pinpoint control coupled with one of the most efficient and consistent approaches to pitching.
For 17 straight seasons, from 1988 through 2004, Maddux won 15 or more games, winning 4 consecutive Cy Youngs during that stretch (and finishing in the top 5 another 4 times). He led the league in wins 3 times and ERA 5 times, posting sub-2.00 ERAs in 1994 and 1995.
Although he never led the league in strikeouts – and only topped 200 in a single season – he whiffed 150 or more in 11 seasons, and finished his career with almost 3,400, good for 10th all-time.
One last thing about Maddux that made him so good was his efficiency. His games rarely went over 3 hours. In 1998 he threw a complete game shutout in just 1:46! Some Yankees games don’t get past 3 innings in that time.
He retired after the 2008 season with 355 wins, good for 8th all-time
If you ever saw Maddux pitch, you knew you were seeing an Immortal.
For some background on what this is, check out the introduction post here.
