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Let's not underestimate the fact that he put up generational leading numbers in the middle of the juice era of MLB.....incredible
He was an absolute wizard.
Because the plate was often 20 or more inches wide for him.
And let's not forget that Tony Gwynn faced Maddux 103 times in his career, and had a career batting average of .429 against Maddux. In those 103 times Maddux faced Gwynn, he never struck him out. Not even once. Incredible.
Maddux barely hit 90mph most of his career as well. I used to be blown away by that until I started noticing how common it is for low velocity pitchers to find success in MLB. Jamie Moyer, Mark Eichorn and many others took advantage of the fact that hitters rarely faced sub 90mph pitching. So the lower velocity really messed with there timing. You would think pitchers throwing 80mph in mlb would get crushed but more often than not that isn’t the case. Plus like in Maddux’s case slower pitches tend to have more movement. Combine Maddux’s movement with his legendary accuracy and it’s not hard to see why his lower velocity didn’t seem to matter one bit.
@@user-sg8kq7ii3yI’m a San Diego kid and a padres fan, always love this stat
Not many guys get their numbers retired with two teams. Absolute legend.
WORD! (Just one of his EXCEPTIONALTIES....)
You'll see more of that as players move around far more than they used to. It's really NOT that big a deal.
Only 9 players in over 20,000 have accomplished it. I agree, absolute legend.
@@karlheinzvonkroemann2217 you’re extremely dumb if you don’t think it’s a big deal. I promise it won’t be happening much in the future
To be fair, there was a period where teams colluded to prevent free agency really existing, and also players had shorter careers.
He was so ahead of his time. He didn’t need an analytics department, he was the analytics department.
The contemporary ''Analytics'' A-Hole would completely undo him. The ''Sabermetrics'' Tyrant of today hasn't a clue about what drives a true competitor and they certainly have no appreciation for the once fine art and craft of pitching which they themselves have _driven_ to near extinction. They'd have him in the clubhouse after 5 and 2/3rds , if that, and he'd be on such a tight leash he wouldn't know if he was going or coming. Finally, all of their rigid, arbitrarily set and applied rules would _wind up_ (no pun intended) destroying the arm of even guy like Maddux.
To suggest that someone is “ahead of their time” is to assert that people are better today. Greg Maddux was facing guys like Barry Bonds, Jeff Bagwell and Mike Piazza regularly… among a 💩 load of other insane bat speed guys. I would say he was directly in his time. Either that or guys like Jose Ramirez and Alex Bregman are better than those hitters I mentioned.
You talk like if the late 80s and 90s pitchers weren't good or were in a lower quality than today's pitchers. The reality is that 80s and 90s pitchers were way better than today's pitchers despite today's pitcher throwing harder on a daily basis. P. Martinez, J. Smoltz, T. Glavine, D. Gooden, D. Stewart, D. Martinez, R. Johnson, C. Schilling, K. Appier, M. Mussina, D. Cone, R. Clemens, K. Brown, D. Wells, J. Rijo, R. Martinez, J. McDowell, H. Nomo, N. Ryan, A. Leiter. All those pitchers played at one point in the same season. Think about that. Today's pitchers don't even come close to that quality. And I'm just mentioning starting pitchers.
Ahead of his time? How so? I liken Maddux in many ways to a right handed Warren Spahn: Both pitchers were about the same size, with similar stats/records, and both got by with smarts, guile, and great control. Spahn really didn't get his MLB career started until he was 25 /26 (Spahn HATED rain outs and missed starts) because of WWII. How many Cy Young awards would he have won if the award was around prior to 1956? Warren had 13 - count 'em - 20 game winning seasons. A remarkable pitcher who is all but forgotten today.
What Devon is saying is that Maddux implemented his own Sabermetrics against opposing hitters when such analytics were not widely accepted at that time. So yes, he's way ahead of his time with his analysis.
Greg Maddux is one of the greatest right handed pitchers of all time hands down.
I'd rather just have a video about his pranks. For starters, the time he approached Andrew Dawson and company in the hot tub.
I would just say pitchers, regardless of left or right
Him pedro and lincecum!
@@jrrivera4450 lincecum wasnt good for long enough
also randy johnson should be the 3rd name here
He was also a great fielder from the mound. Leaps and bounds better than most pitchers.
His slower less hard throwing style really helped for that. From what I remember he was almost always in a proper defensive posture after his pitch as opposed to a lot of pitchers who's hard throwing tendencies leave them more unbalanced.
Understatement of the year! He won 18 Gold Gloves - more than any other player at any other position.
Best ever defensive pitcher, hands down.
Hence the amount of gold glove awards..
18 Gold Gloves. Most of any position player IN HISTORY.
Growing up & living in Atlanta, I remember how excited the city was when we got him in 1993. I went to hundreds of Braves games during the 90's, and it was amazing having Maddux, Smoltz & Glavine anchor that rotation for a decade. Greg Maddux was an artist on the mound. I remember a quote from Joe Torre back in the day... ''Every time you swing at one of his pitches, it's a ball, and when you don't, it's a strike.''
Yep, you can say a lot of things about Ted Turner, but he was a fantastic owner that was never afraid to go out and spend money to get a winner.
Atlanta born and raised here, Moreland Avenue to be exact. Completely agree
Bro, this was my entire childhood! Greg Olsen, Jeff Blauser, Mark Lemke, Terry Pendleton, Ron Gant, David Justice, Fred McGriff, Ryan Klesko, Otis Nixon, Marquis Grissom, Kenny Lofton... I lived by the Braves as a kid
Don't forget Steve Avery. He was great for 2 or 3 seasons in the early 90's.
@@jrpark05 Javier Lopez said the same thing.
Maddux had a great career but his days with the Braves in particular with that pitching rotation that included Smoltz & Glavine were amazing
Don't forget Steve Avery. That rotation was fantastic
Best bullpen in history.
That staff coming away with only one world series win was a failure.
Can you play a guitar like ringing a bell?
@JohnnyBGood11 I don't think you can label anything those Braves teams did as a failure by any means. Maybe didn't meet some expectations by their fans but a World Series championship, 5 National League championships, & 15 or 16 Division championships are the signs of a successful run.
I feel extremely lucky to have grown up during the Atlanta Braves golden years. It was pure wizardry what Maddux could do.
Oh we were spoiled for sure Sun comes up Sun goes down Braves win the division
As of the present moment, it's important not to forget that the Braves are undergoing a renaissance.
40 games over .500 at the moment...
You’re a wizard Greg.. Just doesn’t have the same ring to it. Maybe in Borat’s voice.
Can’t believe yall only got 1 title during that time
Growing up in Southern California as a Dodger fan I would turn on TBS to just to watch Maddux pitch. As a kid I was amazed at the movement he had on his pitches.
People ask me how am I a die hard Braves FAM from Los Angeles? You answered it. TBS!
As a fan of Cincinnati reds I've lost so much money betting against the braves back then😅
Maddox doesn't get enough credit for being the first athlete in the HOF with mild Down Syndrome.
TBS was awesome in the 90's! We only had like 28 channels at the time, none of which aired Cards games, whom I'm a fan of. It was TBS to watch an S-tier rotation or WGN to watch one of the best drunken showmen ramble on about random nonsense that had nothing to do with the game, lol. Good times. My summer's when school was out were spent watching Braves/Cubs day games and then going to baseball games/practice in the evening. Always been a fan of pitching duels, and that's 100% down to watching Maddux/Glavine/Smoltz (and Avery was a decent back of the rotation arm) with Wohlers closing ballgames. Wasn't so bright on the cubs front, though Andre Dawson and Ryan Sandburg were were fun to watch.
I liked the Braves as they played em on TBS in MA
I'm glad you at least slipped in the Gold Gloves at the end there. from 1990-2008, the only year he didn't win the Gold Glove was 2003, that's absolutely nuts. That is a mega underrated part of his game.
You damn skippy.... that's how good he was...that that part of his game is virtually OVERLOOKED!!
By no means is this meant to minimize that accomplishment, especially given that Maddux is in my opinion the GOAT. But an elite ground ball pitcher like he was will naturally generate a lot more fielding opportunities. Its hard to say if he was the best groundball pitcher during his time since the data didn't exist until late in his career but in the first year it was tracked (2002) he posted a 56% rate which is considered elite. It would be interesting to know how high he may have been at at his peak. His career fielding percentage wasn't that much better than an average starter (about 1% better) and since he had so many opportunities, his season average for errors was over double an average pitcher.
They forgot to mention that he wasn't an automatic out at the plate, either.
I agree. That just shows how good his hand-eye coordination was. It was a superpower that helped both his pitching and fielding.
@@fiftyten84 it also was a huge advantage that he was a pitcher and not a thrower. Throwers arent set to field once they pitch usually as they almost throw themselves off the mound.
I’ve been a Braves fan since I was 11 yrs old (over 40 years)…Greg Maddux is the best baseball player I’ve ever seen. On days he didn’t pitch, he would be in the dugout sharing his knowledge with other pitchers, which helped elevate their game! I cannot express, in words, my personal appreciation for him as a Braves fan. He truly contributed to the franchise legacy!
Those were some great days, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavin, John Smoltz, Steve Avery, Denny Neagle..
Maddux isn't a baseball player He's a pitcher
@@nyeaglesfootballgarbagemen8346 wut
@@tuckerbugeater If you played the game, you'd get it
It was an absolute honor growing up watching that trio pitch for my Braves in the 90s.
an honor lol
One of my dad's favorite players of all time. His control was superhuman, and he was using analytics to get hitters out before it was cool. Great pitcher.
He was notorious for making batter just stand there and wonder what just happened.
I grew up a braves fan and got to see just how impressive Maddux was. His ball control is something to admire.
He got 6 to 7 inches off the plate all the time he just looked good.
My mom was a Braves fan so I got the same, although I ultimately ended up not being a Braves fan in my adulthood. Still, my very foundational memories of baseball were the mid to late 90s Braves. Maddux/Glavine/Smoltz was just...indescribable (No offense to Avery). Add in McGriff, Klesko, and my favorite player growing up, a young Chipper Jones (Who just BARELY edged out Maddux, though Maddux is probably my favorite or second favorite pitcher of all time and Chipper...isn't my favorite 3rd basemen even of all time haha). Also Galarraga in '98. Good times...
@@Tinil0 Avery almost single handedly shut down Barry Bonds when Bonds was still in Pittsburgh. That really determined that playoff series.
Maddux was a great regular season pitcher but was below average in the world series
@@JohnnyBGood11 2-3 in World Series play with a 2.09 ERA. That's not horrible by any means?
My favorite pitcher. Growing up in Atlanta, the announcers always broke down what Greg Maddux was doing on the mound. He and Tom Glavine loved the corners of the strike zone.
And 6 inches off the corners that the umpires would give them
Yep....Don Sutton, Skip Carey, Joe Simpson, and I'm probably forgetting someone.
Usually watching pitching is boring as can be but he was such a master it was absolutely fascinating to watch him work
I remember watching a day game way back in the mid 90s between Maddux and Kevin Brown,it was one of the shortest games in Baseball history. It was pitching at just an insane level of perfection. I will never forget that game and Maddux’s sustained brilliance
Watching those two duel on the mound would have been a Doctorate level course for anyone wanting to be a pitcher. It would probably still be required viewing.
Maddux fortunately did not appear on a Mitchell report and didn’t need enhancements to be successfully like that counter part. Brown and those ped users should be ashamed.
Unfortunately, you must either be remembering the wrong game or the wrong pitchers involved. Brown and Maddux only faced each other in a day game once... a 3h19m affair in 1999. The quickest game a Brown/Maddux matchup ever produced was a 2h17m night game in 2003. The game you're almost certainly thinking of was Kevin Brown vs John Smoltz, a day game in 1996 that was only 2h11m. Smoltz was great in that one, tossing a complete game 2-hit shutout while striking out 10. Brown gave up 3 runs in 7 innings, taking the loss. For context, the quickest game Maddux ever pitched in lasted 1h46m vs Juan Guzman and the Blue Jays in 1998. His famous 77* pitch outing against the Cubs in 1997 was 2h7m, which incredibly wasn't even the quickest game he threw against the Cubs that season... he beat them 4-0 in a 1h47m game earlier that year.
@@chili015 that must be it! The year is dead on. Sorry for confusing the pitchers.
Kevin Brown awesome so was Doug Drabek
355 wins - the strike cost him 10 - and if he had 1 more win every 2 seasons he would have had 375 wins making him 3rd all-time behind only Cy Young and Walter Johnson. He pitched a good chunk of his career in the era of the 5-man rotation. It's been said that just as Barry Sanders made you tackle air, Maddux made you swing at air. Legendary.
World War II cost Warren Spahn about 70 victories, otherwise, he'd be above 430 lifetime wins.
How many victories would have it cost him if he didn't pitch in the generation that the umpire gave the pitchers four inches outside consistently? I would take Seaver way over Maddux especially if the umps would make Maddux throw a strike. If he had 1 or 2 more wins a year is the most ridiculous assessment I have ever heard on someone's career.
If this if that... your argument falls apart with you consider the IFS for Walter Johnson and Cy Young... and a long list of others on that list. THEY did not have multi-billion organization of trainers and nutrition and everything else athletes have today. What if those old dudes had all that? Do you think they might have a few more wins. they were likely working a full-time job in the offseason. Different times.
@@efudd800 You mean the era that hitters were taking "supplements" and home run rates went through the roof? If Maddux's stats are illegitimate because of the wide strike zone, then so are every other pitcher's and we might as well throw out the hitters, as well. Great pitchers are great no matter what era they played in.
@@cmc5394oparva He exploited it more than anyone else because he had the best control. If you can't see that you probably didn't watch enough games in that era. You can put Tom Glavine right there with Maddux. I was a Cubs and Maddux fan but thought it was joke on the calls he got. If they made him throw it over the plate he wasn't nearly as effective.
Greg Maddux 18 golden gloves is enough to say what this man really is crazy
I’ve seen all these highlights a dozen times and they never get old.
The man was an absolute artist on the mound. Glad I grew up watching him play.
I idolized Maddux as a little leaguer growing up in GA. However, no matter how much I studied him, I could not get the ball to move like it did for the 4 pitches at the 5:45 mark. He was amazing!
Don't feel bad, there were major league pitchers that failed to do the same.
I think him not having a crazy fast fastball helped his other pitches. It was harder to tell when it was a fastball.
For the longest time he wouldn't tell anyone how he was doing it. Even his own teammates. Finally he said he was applying a varied amount of pressure with his ring finger grip and sometimes with his ring finger bent and sometimes without even touching it with his ring finger at all.
The movement on his pitches is sick. Coupled with his pinpoint control and ability to change speeds and he was a unicorn, i.e., unique, one-of-a-kind, amongst modern day pitchers over the past 75 years. Only Whitey Ford of the legendary NY Yankee teams approached Maddux's genius on the mound in this regard.
There was a guy named Seaver who was as smart as Maddux and had stuff that was Ryan level
Those braves teams were my all time favorite. There will never be another pitching rotation like that.
The late 60s - early 70s Orioles had a 4 pitchers monster rotation, where all four won 20 or more in one season. In 1971, those four guys, Cuéllar, McNally, Palmer and Dobson won 81 games between them leaving 20 victories to the rest of the staff
I never will forget him going the distance with like 77 pitches? Roughly what I remember. It just freaking baffled me. it was just amazing that he just... Got people out so quick
Notice how the catcher hardly moves the glove when he frames the pitch! For Maddux to put the movement on his pitches and hit the spot just goes to show how amazing he was! On a side note, Maddux was a notorious prankster pulling the grossest kind of jokes.
There's a channel by a former minor leaguer named Matt Antonelli. He played a few games with Maddux when they were with the Padres. Matt was sitting on the bench during a game and Greg sat beside him. Then he looks down at his leg and noticed Maddux was dripping his chew down his leg the whole time!! They never said a word to one another then Maddux just gets up and walks away!!
@@MickLoud999 yes!!! I enjoy watching Anto!
I am a life long Braves fan and resident, I loved watching Maddux all those games. Such a great time to be alive.
Maddux was a Master. I did not cheer for the teams he played for but watching him now, he knew what the batter expected and threw an ironic pitch that only a math nerd could throw. He will be studied for generations.
Nobody is studying him. Very few pitch like him and no one expects the 4 + inches outside pitches to be called strikes.
Maddux was a master. But Tony Gwynn OWNED him. Gwynn faced Maddux 103 times, and had a .429 batting average against the 4-time Cy Young winner. Maddux never could strike Gwynn out. Not even ONCE. Let that sink in for a moment... 103 times facing one another , and Maddux could not strike out Gwynn even ONCE. In the meantime, Gwynn is banging away hits against Maddux like its child's play.
@@user-sg8kq7ii3y Tony Gwynn is also the best contact hitter of all time so I'm not sure what point you're trying to make
@@braxtontaff2371 My point is that, as good as Maddox was, he was no threat to Gwynn. Gwynn had Maddux's number.
Growing up in Georgia in the 90's watching him play were some of my fondest memories
My One and Only son named after this legend..... Maddux Macapayag...He is 6 yrs old...... Mabuhay Greg Maddux...My Favorite RHP forever......
As a Cubs fan since 1984, I can comfortably say there will never be another Greg Maddux too. He was something else, in almost all aspects of the game too.
Maddux’s two-seamer deserves to be included among the great pitches you mentioned near the end. Sure, it wasn’t an overpowering pitch, but has there ever been a pitch that received more called strike threes? It’s inside-out movement has still never been duplicated.
That 2-seamer hit the inside corner, against lefties, EVERY TIME. And they NEVER swung. Un-real control.
It's pretty overpowering when it takes an almost left hand turn 10ft from home plate! Absolutely insane movement on a fastball it was still going 90+ and with pinpoint control too, most of those strikeout pitches were strikes for about 5ft of the 60ft he threw them. I'd seriously rather have Ryan blow a 108 fastball by me than Maddux turn me into a damn statue at 92.
So many of my childhood memories involve seeing Maddux at Turner Field. There won’t be another pitcher like him, that man was different
As an Atlanta native and Braves fan, I can say we love the guy. I liked both of his nicknames, so I always called him Professor Mad Dog. He deserves both.
Not quite old enough to remember the beginning of his career but I'm happy I got to see him pitch at Wrigley for the Cubs a handful of times. Favorite pitcher of all time growing up playing baseball as a pitcher. Tried to mimic his pitch sequencing as best I could.
Incredible pitcher. Got to watch him pitch in person a few times. He was in control of the game on the mound.
Fantastic career recap of one of the most amazing pitchers ever. And he fielded the position with the best of them.
I live in Atlanta and took my boys to see him pitch when they were young - like 11 and 9. We had tickets about four rows back from the Braves dugout. Maddux would drop F bombs and all kinds of insane words - very loudly - while he pitched. The crazy thing is, he’d be cussing when he got called strikes. He’d also be cussing coming off the mound after a 1-2-3 inning. The dude was a competitor!
Man, I must say this man is simply put. ' The best control pitcher I've seen. He just quietly and methodically pitched and fielded his way to baseball information. Love to watch him pitch.
Maddux was the only pitcher other than Ryan that I chomped at the bit to watch throw. Simply amazing!
As a kid I would always turn off games Maddux started vs the Phillies because I assumed we'd lose lol. Played Ken Griffey Jr Baseball on SNES instead 🔥
if he pitched game one he'd then be followed by Glavine & Smoltz. It was an insanely great pitching rotation
Dude, your videos have revitalized my love for baseball. I grew up playing ball in a small town in Texas, walked on to a juco as a pitcher, and realized how average I was over one season and I quit. It’s so nice to be able to get a run down of these studs that I knew back when I was playing but never dug into. Thanks man.
I lived in Atlanta during the entire run of 14 consecutive division titles and the 1995 WS. I like the city was a rabid Braves fan & got to see The Professor paint masterpieces regularly. I have not even started to Play the video & wanted to comment in confirmation that there absolutely won't ever be another Greg Maddux. He honed that crafty accuracy at a young age w his brother, Mike , in their AFB backyards with gd cola bottle caps. There are barely any bottlecaps used anymore for kids to pickup & curve at targets . Thus ,another mad dog ain't happenin' the greatest pitcher of our generation & possibly ever in the modern era.
We were so spoiled back then in Atlanta
@@matthewcollins8602 right? hf, to hit a Thursday game ,sneak outta work at Turner / AOL / CNN tech support , use my annual book of 25 complimentary Braves tix to catch Avery , Glav or Greg pitch....or , catch Marta to AFCS launching pad & see Lemke at short or Deon or Andruw sniping flyballs like he was Spiderman... Bobby waddlingout on his HankHill'sFather-like knees ( bless Bobby) to lay into Angel Hernandez for questioning the strikezone ,😅 not to mention watching HoF headed Hoss get his legacy rollin... but, it was the pitching we came for & knew , regardless of the series or the competition, we WERE 100% going to take 2of3 or 3of4 every single time. That's what we got spoiled by ...after 10 yrs of annually always winning regular season series ..that's the Cox way...and it works if youve got the arms to back. the Braves are part of my soul. One I'm extremely grateful for. ⚾
I began enjoying hockey for the fights. I began enjoying baseball for Greg Maddux. The movement on his pitches was like watching real magic.
I loved watching him pitch when I was young. Very impressive.
One extra little bit of genius: another reason he likely went to Atlanta was John Schuerholz's method of turning the Braves around: fixing the infield defense by signing Terry Pendleton, Rafael Belliard, and Sid Bream, adding to the Mark Lemke that was already there. Ground balls off a righty will tend to go to second base where Lemke would just generate routine outs. Even once Jeff Blauser won the shortstop job, the infield defense was perfectly fine.
Also much of the foundation of those Braves teams were because of Bobby Cox as General Manager right before that and eventually transitioning into the on field manager. Both guys were genius at baseball.
He won 15 games or more in 17 straight seasons. Being able to chalk 15+ wins in the 1 spot for almost 2 decades would make him the number 1 overall pitcher taken in an all time draft. Being able to have a 1 pitcher for 17 years with 15 wins is something no franchise has ever done. This guy could do it.
I was blessed... I grew up in Atlanta and got to watch Maddux, Smoltz and Glavine pitch many times. However, I recall this one time when Maddux was pitching against Gary Sheffield. He set Sheffield up on the first couple of pitches and then called his catcher (Eddie Perez) in to speak on the mound. The next pitch Sheffield popped up to left field. After the game, interviewers asked Eddie what Maddux told him. Eddie said that Maddux told him Sheffield was going to pop up to left field on the very next pitch. Sure enough! To know your batters so well that you can tell exactly what will happen next...that's amazing.
Maddux was one of one
He's certainly the best pitcher I ever witnessed in my 60+ years alive on the planet. As any old/frustrated pitcher like myself knows, he *pitched* - not merely just *threw* . Control was his forte', sure - but every pitch he threw had *movement* . Every. Damn. One... As a hitter, that made you not only guess where he was going with the next one, but in which direction it was going to tail off. Maddening stuff from the MAD DOG. - Ed on the Ridge
Greg Maddux stayed in my hotel in Arlington, TX. For Game 1 + 2 of the World Series here in Texas. It was a great honor to meet him.
I used to play in a weekend warrior type over-30 hardball league. One of the pitchers in the league went down to Florida for spring training to see some games. He was in a hotel walking down the hallway and he bumped into Greg Maddox. They started talking about pitching, and Maddox chatted with him for 20 minutes answering all his questions. What a great guy, not to mention master of the change-up.
Best sinking 2-seamer of all time, plus he was a pretty good hitter and excellent fielder.
Chicks dig the long ball
Can we talk about the framing of his catcher, too? Maddux was a pitching god, but some of the clips used in this video display some amazing framing, too!
You're right, but it's easy to frame the pitch when the guy has the best control in the history of the league...
Yep that's why he typically had a different catcher than the rest of the staff in Atlanta. I remember him primarily using Eddie Perez.
True story of Maddux is that he still carried a Cubs marked bag when ever traveling with the Braves on road games. Why? He could quickly identify his bag and be out of the airport in no time while other team mates had to scramble to figure out which one was theirs. He was definitely one of the smartest people in baseball.
Greg maddux gave us the inspiration for Wild Thing rick vaughn, so even without the HOF career he gets props for that
My favorite Maddux stories were when he did something at the plate, he'd go around the clubhouse and brag about it to EVERYONE he could find. 'Hey did you hit a homerun today? I did. Just what I do.' I was a pitcher in high school who didn't have the fastest fastball, he won the CY every year I was in high school, so yeah, I really liked Greg Maddux.
I'll never forget the Braves starting rotation in the 90's. It still amazes me they only won 1 world series in that Era.
Quite possibly the best rotation ever
They were no match for the Indians and the Yankees back then. NO ONE was.
@@SirJoelsuf1 Uhm, they beat the Indians?
It was glorious to watch it go down over the years. Came home everyday after school looking fwd to seeing Braves and Cubs broadcasts
His backup fastball against left handed hitters was such an amazing pitch! His pinpoint control was the key to his greatness!
There wasn't anything quite like being a Braves' fan in the 90s. Maddux one night, Glavine, the next, Smoltz after that, and Steve Avery after that. We were spoiled rotten. To me, it was how Maddux's pitch counts and walk numbers could be so eye-popping game after game. Joe Torre said he thought Maddux could read hitters' minds. For me the 1998 All-Star game was all-time vintage Maddux, who started the game for the NL: in the first inning the first three batters reach base and it's bases loaded with nobody out. Nothing hit hard, but that's baseball. Maddux then calmly retires Ken Griffey Jr, Jim Thome, and Alex Rodriguez in order without a run scoring and without a double play - but the ball never left the infield. That one inning summed him up for me.
These were some of my favourite yrs of pitchers. And I'm a die hard Ryan fan. And the Red Sox are my team. But Glavin and Maddux were amazing to watch. Ill admit...Glavin was my favorite of the 2. Glavin was a dam good pitcher. But Maddux was a genius on the mound.
Genius towing the rubber, and could field his position at a Gold Glove level, appreciate you Greg, you taught me a ton about pitching.
I remember watching the Braves on TBS in the early mid 90s. Smoltz, Glavine, Maddux. Didn't know then the greatness I was privileged to watch then but it sure was fun watching those guys pitch. Especially Maddux.
YAY! IT'S BACK. THANK YOU MTC!
I thought this was a new video as it said released 37 mins ago, but quickly realized i already watched it. Based on your comment, i guess it was uploaded and then removed? If not, i might need to seek some mental health care 😵💫
I have never seen a player who used his intellect better than Maddux. He was a pleasure to watch.
Him, glavine n smoltz gotta be the best pitching lineup ever
I agree
It was a pleasure watching this man pitch live in the stadium. He was the greatest PITCHER of his era.
Roger Clemens’ idea of a perfect game would be 81 pitches; Greg Maddux’ s idea of a perfect game would be 27 pitches. Didn’t need a pitch clock either!
I always found that pitchers back then preferred to pitch faster than today's pitchers. Pedro was also really quick and said that he preferred to keep the batters on his pace to stay in rhythm. That era had some serious monsters between Maddux/Pedro/Randy/etc. Might be the most talented era of pitchers in the modern era.
Interesting you mentioned Tony Gwynn. How many times did Maddux strike out Gwynn? They faced each other 106 times with zero strikeouts
Tony Gwynn was about one of the only hitters who could produce consistently against Maddux. God, those matchups were the baseball equivalent of competitive chess. I'm grateful I grew up in an era before blackout rules. In southwest Ohio, we were spoiled as hell having access to the Reds, Cubs, and Braves on a regular basis.
Baseball oddities. Some players a pitcher couldn’t figure out. Tony was one of em.
It was pour bliss watching the professor pitch. What an Era in baseball!!🙏🏻
I still remember Dwane Ward and Tom Henke were 2 great pitchers. Greg was one of the greats
The movement on everyone of his pitches is what stands out to me. it looks like he was throwing a wiffle ball out there
He always landed his feet towards the plate which made him an excellent fielder
A 78 pitch complete game is wild frfr... and 10 complete games in multiple seasons is unheard of now
I am 61 years old, and have seen some of the best pitchers ever. He’s the best I’ve ever seen to this day.
I'm from San Diego, and man, the San Diego Matchup - Gwynn (SDSU) vs Maddox (Vegas was a Padre minor league team). I remember Gwynn saying, "Never look into his eyes, if he catches your eye, you've already struck out". And that was the greatest hitters in history.
Part of Maddux's genius was that if the umpire was consistently calling pitches a few inches off the outside corner as a strike then he should continue pitching it there. I'm a Maddux guy, but he very likely had a wider strike zone than most.
He took what they were giving, it was there for the opposing pitcher as well. Can't fault him for that
@@1972mrkleen He actually HIT that corner...and then XPANDED it. It was fascinating to see that happen.
@@scottbaron121 I agree. I never missed a Braves game back then, that was Baseball. I'm not interested in this bastardized version of the game nowadays 🙄
At last!
Those were great days. Must be the best trio of pitchers ever assembled
I remember playing mvp baseball as a kid and thinking why is he rated so high? His fastball is only 90 mph
In his prime he threw 93, which was in a time with a lower average fastball velo than today.
@@FuckKZheadAndGoogle yeah, most fans are pretty dumb.
Greg was a great pitcher. Did you ever notice the umps gave him a strike for every pitch six inches off the plate?
Umps still do that to this very day. Perhaps you should watch a little more baseball. 🤡
He and Glavine were masters at stretching the strike zone, so much that in the later innings, the strike zone gets ridiculous "generous"
If they'd give it, he'd take it. You'd be stupid not to. He got the calls because of how incredibly consistent he was at hitting his spots.
@2005StangMan I agree. Once he got those calls, he'd be crazy not to throw it there.
GFU!
Favorite player to watch. Great competitor great control. Brilliant! I was crushed when he left the Cubs. One of the Greats
Came here after the Randy Johnson episode... You turn baseball into the most interesting thing EVER with every video you post.
You've got a lot of potential as a channel, but you need to slow down your delivery and learn another way to read a sentence. It feels repetitive and non-stop. It doesn't give the viewer time to process, nor does it give the viewer a shortcut for processing by emphasizing what is important in the sentence
Being a kid of the 80s/90s, you had your team, and the Braves pitching staff, to enjoy. Thank you, Ted Turner, for nationally broadcasting the sweetest rotation ever. "Chicks dig the long ball."
Growing up around the turn of the century, I remember Maddux pitching for the Cubs for a few seasons and being told that he was absolutely an amazing pitcher. I didn't know much at the time, but I've always held some respect for him. Having Kerry Wood, Mark Prior, Carlos Zambrano, and Greg Maddux as four of your starting pitchers is really something. Each one of them were great in their own way.
Went to a lot of Phillies games as a kid. One time Braves we’re in town. Tried getting Chipper Jones autograph before the game, but he just ignored us. But Greg Maddux came over and signed my glove . it was awesome, still have that glove. I remember saying good luck to him… then the Braves lost. Never said good luck to any player again
Watching the catchers’ mitt during this video is insane. Most of the time there is no movement from where they set up and that kind of control is just mind blowing to see
I was born in '92 and my dad was a huge Cubs fan. He kinda became a Braves fan too once Maddux left Chicago. So growing up I was a Cubs fan first but my favorite players were Chipper Jones and Greg Maddux. It also helped that the Braves were one of the easiest teams to watch nationally thanks to TBS. In high school I developed a wicked 2-seam fastball because I wanted to throw one like Maddux. It became my primary pitch and multiple times I hit batters' back legs on swinging strikes.
If you were a Braves fan in the 90s and had Maddux on the mound, you just felt so confident and damn bro he was so watchable... his late movement was so insane and fun to watch him just confuse people.....
What an evocative title! Greg Maddux was truly one-of-a-kind in the world of baseball, wasn't he? His precision and control on the mound were legendary. It's amazing to think about how athletes like Maddux have changed the game and set such high standards. It's these kinds of talents that keep the history and excitement of sports so rich and intriguing! 🌟⚾
I worked at a skyline chili in Florida during college and he would come in once in a while to pick up skyline. Once he came in on a Saturday evening to pick some food up. A table noticed him and started chatted him up. I thought he would leave after a couple of meetings but he stayed there and talked with the table for at least 2 hours and even after we had closed the restaurant. Super nice guy. His food got cold and and we made him new food right before we closed
My favorite pitcher of all time.
Just reaching the majors is a milestone, to shine above so many of the best is amazing.
Nobody talks about it. But Greg in the batter’s box was must see TV for me. Depending on the situation he’s either move a base runner with a precision bunt or opposite field single, or leave the bat on his shoulder and save the energy for the mound. No wasted motion. Genius.
As a Braves fan and a pitcher without an overpowering fastball, Maddux was my idol growing up. Dude was the definition of 'playing chess while everyone else was playing checkers'.
Totally enjoyed watching this master at work with my young son. Who admired him
As a Braves fan back when he came aboard, man so many fun games to watch him pitch and just to see him hanging around. With the wry smile. Tiger Woods said he payed around with Maddox, Glavine and Smoltz and two of the Braves beat him with scores of 62 and 63. Fun times. Skip Cary adored him and often had colorful stories about Greg. And the young guys coming up in awe of being on the bench with him chatting baseball. I remember the night the Braves won the WS in the locker room Greg was blitz out of his mind. Hilarious. Looked a dorky young kid. Gem of a player and person.
Absolutely the most enjoyable pitcher to watch. I was lucky to be stationed n N.W. Florida 1995 . Got all the Braves game and would be memorized watching him paint.
A surgeon is what he is. Somebody once said his accuracy was so good it was like walking the ball up to home plate and placing it wherever he wanted.