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Maddux reaches milestone with 350th win
2 days ago

SAN DIEGO, California (AFP) — San Diego hurler Greg Maddux became the ninth pitcher in Major League Baseball history to reach 350 wins Saturday as the Padres beat the Colorado Rockies 3-2.

A four-time National League Cy Young Award winner, Maddux allowed an unearned run and three hits with no walks and one strikeout over six innings.

The future Hall of Famer's only blemish on the night came in the sixth. Willy Taveras laid down a bunt, and 17-time Gold Glove winner Maddux skipped his throw to first into right field.

Taveras advanced to third on the play and scored on Omar Quintanilla's groundout.

"He is a master craftsman and he's going to go into the Hall of Fame," Rockies manager Clint Hurdle said of Maddux. "He stayed away from the barrel, he changed speeds, and he got outs. He was very effective."

The 42-year-old hurler needed five attempts to join Cy Young, Walter Johnson, Pete Alexander, Christy Mathewson, Pud Galvin, Warren Spahn, Kid Nichols and Roger Clemens in the exclusive 350-win club.

Clemens is just above him on the wins list with 354.

In his first bid for No. 350, Maddux was hammered for nine runs and 13 hits in seven innings of a 9-0 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on April 18.

On April 23, Maddux tossed seven scoreless innings but did not get a decision as the Padres suffered a 3-2 defeat to the San Francisco Giants.

On April 30 he allowed four runs and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings of a 7-4 setback at Philadelphia. The future Hall of Famer then was roughed up in last Sunday's 10-3 loss to the Florida Marlins, relinquishing five runs - four earned - and 11 hits.

"I was never really too concerned with it, I was just trying to win," Maddux said. "I don't want to make it out to be nothing, but it is May, and we haven't been playing that good, and you really just want to win for the right reasons. We need to start winning as a team."

Maddux set a major league record by winning at least 15 games in 17 consecutive seasons from 1988 through 2004. He was the winningest pitcher in the major leagues in the 1990s.

Maddux has been credited by many of his teammates with a preternatural ability to outhink his opponents, and anticipate results. Braves catcher Eddie Perez tells the story of Maddux intentionally allowing a home run to the Astros' Jeff Bagwell, in anticipation of facing Bagwell in the playoffs months later. Maddux felt Bagwell would instinctively be looking for the same pitch again, which Maddux would then refuse to throw.[7] On another occasion while sitting on the bench, Maddux once told his teammates, "Watch this, we might need to call an ambulance for the first base coach." The batter, Los Angeles' Jose Hernandez drove the next pitch into the chest of the Dodgers' first base coach. Maddux had noticed that Hernandez, who'd been pitched inside by Braves pitching during the series, had shifted his batting stance slightly.[5]

Early in the 2000 season, Maddux was asked by sportswriter Bob Nightengale what had been the most memorable at-bat of his pitching career. Maddux said it was striking out Dave Martinez to end a regular season game. Nightengale was surprised Maddux hadn't picked a postseason game, or a more famous player. Maddux explained:

"I remember that one because he got a hit off me in the same situation (full count, bases loaded, two out in the 9th inning) seven years earlier. I told myself if I ever got in the same situation again, I'll pitch him differently. It took me seven years, but I got him."[5]