Greg Maddux “The Professor”
Greg Maddux, “The Professor,” was my childhood favorite player, which is why he has a gallery here when almost nobody else from the modern game does. I collect him the way I collect the vintage: earliest and scarcest issues first, then a little Atlanta game-worn gear that ties to the same story.
Why “The Professor”
Maddux never overpowered anybody. He won by thinking: changing speeds, moving the ball an inch at a time, and remembering exactly how he got each hitter out the last time. He looked more like a college instructor than an ace, and he pitched like one, studying hitters, setting them up and outthinking them, so “The Professor” stuck. His other nickname, “Mad Dog,” came from his name and from how much he hated to lose.
Worth knowing
- 18 Gold Gloves, the most ever by any player at any position.
- Four straight Cy Young Awards (1992–95). Over that stretch he went 75–29 with a 1.98 ERA.
- 17 straight seasons with at least 15 wins, the longest streak in big-league history.
- A 1.56 ERA in 1994 and 1.63 in 1995, back to back.
- The only pitcher with 300 wins, 3,000 strikeouts and fewer than 1,000 walks.
- From 1994 to 1997 he walked just 102 batters in 889.1 innings, and 23 of those were intentional.
- A complete-game shutout on fewer than 100 pitches is now called a “Maddux.”
- 1995 World Series champion with the Braves.
- Only 15 days on the injured list in 23 seasons.
- Elected to the Hall of Fame in 2014 with 97.2% of the vote. His No. 31 is retired by both the Cubs and the Braves.
Career stats per the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Cards
10
