Greg Maddux Biography

1966-

American baseball player

Greg Maddux's record speaks for itself: he is simply one of the best pitchers ever to play the position. The first player ever to win four consecutive Cy Young

Greg Maddux

Awards, he also shines defensively, as evidenced by his 13 consecutive Golden Glove Awards since 1990. In 2002, Maddux posted 16 wins, becoming only the second player after Cy Young to record fifteen or more wins for fifteen consecutive years. After retiring, Maddux is almost assured a spot in the Hall of Fame. At 6 foot 180 pounds, Maddux is not a powerhouse pitcher; his fastballs rarely reach 90 miles per hour. Yet he is a craftsman in the art of changing pitches and speeds to confuse hitters. Maddux uses a wide variety of pitches such as his cut fastball, slider, and circle change up with pinpoint accuracy to stay ahead of the count. One of his strengths lies in forcing hitters to hit ground balls by pitching to the lower part of the strike zone. Like most of his fellow Braves pitchers, Maddux is a respectable hitter at the plate.

Born on April 14, 1966, Maddux spent most of his childhood in Madrid, Spain, where his father, Dave, was stationed with the Air Force. Dave Maddux taught his son to throw and encouraged him to play baseball. When Greg was ten his family moved back to the States. They had the good fortune to be stationed in Las Vegas where Ralph Medar, a retired major-league scout, was developing young baseball talent in the area. Greg's older brother Mike spent Sundays practicing under Medar's watchful eye. However, Dave Maddux was anxious to show Medar his younger son's arm. After a month of attending Sunday practices with Mike, Dave urged Mr. Medar to let Greg play. Watching Greg throw his first pitch Medar said, "I don't know where the boy got those mechanics, but let me tell you this: Don't let anybody change those mechanics. He is going to be something."

Giving Back

During the off season, Maddux and his wife, Kathy, and their two children live in Las Vegas. Greg and Kathy founded the Maddux Foundation. In addition to being involved with many charitable organizations, every year the foundation donates Braves tickets to non-profit organizations.