Farewell, Greg Maddux

On Monday, reports have confirmed that Greg Maddux will officially announce his retirement. This all-star pitcher truly has amazing accomplishments and the game will certainly be losing a great player. He will announce his retirement near his home in Las Vegas.

Maddux's career accomplishments are not short. He ranks eighth on the all time career wins list with 355 victories. Last season, he pitched for the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers and went 8-13 with an ERA of 4.22.After he filed for free agency in the offseason, it was highly speculated that he would retire at the age of 43.

The news arrived from his agent, Scott Boras. Maddux, along with his family and Boras, will hold a press conference. This four time Cy Young Award winner is regarded as one of the greatest pitchers in the game's history.

His list of accomplishments is outstanding. His career win total is one ahead of Roger Clemens. His 3.16 ERA and four Cy Young Awards from 1992 to 1995 will almost guarantee him as a first round Hall of Fame ballot. He is eligible to be voted in in five years. Maddux also earned a record 18 Gold Gloves with the Cubs, Braves, Dodgers, and Padres. He also won at least 13 games in twenty seasons. That streak was broken this year when he finished with only eight wins. Maddux was an eight time All-Star.

He started his career with the Chicago Cubs in 1986. Maddux had bounced around during his career. He was traded to the Dodgers on August 19^th from the Padres. He went 2-4 in his starts for the Dodgers. Maddux did end on a positive note - he beat the Giants after pitching a superb game, winning the last game he appeared in. Maddux is more commonly known for his contribution in Atlanta. He helped the Braves continual division champions for the decade. He also won a World Series with them in 1995.

His pitching style was also trademark. His pinpoint accuracy and clever pitching is what most remember him for. He was never a power pitcher, but depended more on location. Some players on his team have remarked on his incredible ability to outthink his opponents. A former catcher of his said he purposely gave up a home run so when he faced the same opponent months later in the postseason, he knew the batter would look for that pitch.

While former players can praise of his accomplishments, the numbers can do all the talking. He never walked more than 82 batters in any season, averaging only 2 walks per game. He once went over 72 innings without giving up a walk, a National League record. His 18 Gold Gloves are a record for any position and his batting average of .172 is remarkably high for a pitcher.

He pitched in 13 Division Series games, 17 League Championship games, and five World Series games. This eight time All-Star pitched almost 200 innings in the postseason and almost 40 innings in the World Series. His amazing 2.09 ERA in the World Series shows his clutch pitching. Maddux had 19 wins or more seven times in his career, only breaking the 20 win barrier twice. He also won 18 games and 16 games in the 1994 and 1995 seasons respectfully during shortened seasons. He set the record for most seasons in the top ten in the league for wins, accomplishing this feat eighteen times.

The legacy of Greg Maddux will surely be missed but not forgotten anytime soon. His amazing career will almost certainly guarantee a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Sources:

Maddux announces retirement after 23 seasons, ESPN.com