Maddux to retire Monday
Greg Maddux has thrown his last pitch. The four-time Cy Young winner will announce his retirement Monday at the baseball winter meetings, near his home in Las Vegas.
Greg Maddux has thrown his last pitch.
The four-time Cy Young winner will announce his retirement Monday at the baseball winter meetings, near his home in Las Vegas.
Maddux, who turns 43 in April, ranks eighth on the career wins list with 355. He went 8-13 with a 4.22 ERA last season with the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Maddux made three relief appearances in the playoffs for the Dodgers this year - he had an 0.00 ERA over four innings - and then filed for free agency amid speculation he would retire.
Yesterday, confirmation came from the office of Maddux' agent, Scott Boras.
Last month, Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti left open the possibility that Maddux would return for a 24th season in the majors.
Maddux finished one win ahead of Roger Clemens on the career victory list. Overall, "Mad Dog" was 355-227 with a 3.16 ERA.
Noted for impeccable control, Maddux won Cy Young Awards from 1992 to '95 and earned a record 18 Gold Gloves while with the Chicago Cubs, Atlanta, Dodgers and Padres. Maddux was an eight-time All-Star and won at least 13 games in 20 straight seasons, a streak that ended this year.
The last-place Padres traded Maddux to the Dodgers on Aug. 19 for two minor leaguers to be named or cash, and went 2-4 in seven starts for Los Angeles. His last start for the NL West champions was a gem - he beat San Francisco, giving up one run and two hits in six innings.
While Maddux finished on the West Coast, he will always be associated with top teams in Atlanta. Along with fellow 300-game winner Tom Glavine and John Smoltz, Maddux helped the Braves win division titles for more than a decade, and they won a World Series in 1995.
Noteworthy
* C.C. Sabathia won his second straight Warren Spahn Award as the best lefthander in baseball. Sabathia went 17-10 with a career best 2.70 ERA for Cleveland and Milwaukee in 2008, after being traded by the Indians in midseason. Hall of Famer Warren Spahn's 363 career wins is the record for a lefthander.
* Braves general manager Frank Wren confirmed he has made an offer for free-agent pitcher A.J. Burnett. The Braves also signed free agent David Ross to a 2-year deal.
* The Cleveland Indians signed pitcher Tomo Ohka to a minor league contract. Ohka has won 50 games in nine major league seasons with Boston, Washington, Milwaukee and Toronto. *