On May 10, 2008, Greg Maddux joined the ultra-exclusive 350 win club, a feat that will probably never be matched again in modern baseball.
But it’s July 13 and “The Professor” still has only 350 wins. It doesn’t help that he plays for the lowly San Diego Padres. It should be noted that Maddux actually pitched better for a time after his historic win, losing twice with six no-decisions while lowering his ERA from 3.60 to 3.17 after his June 20th start. Two disastrous starts later and his ERA ballooned to 4.04, which he has since managed to dip to a better 3.90.
Will Maddux win another game this season? Probably.
Will Maddux better Roger Clemens’ 354 wins this season? Doubtful. Ever? Hopefully.
With the Padres playing as bad as they are, it’s not easy to say whether or not Maddux will win enough games to hopefully take Clemens down a notch on baseball’s all-time win charts. Everyone is rooting for him to do so. But with less than half a season to go, it will be another crime to see Maddux, at 3 wins now, to not win at least 13 games in over twenty seasons.
With John Smoltz and Tom Glavine both on the disabled list, Maddux is at a crossroads of his own. The thought of seeing the trio enter the Hall Of Fame together would be monumentous and historic (never have three players enter who were voted in by writers), but Maddux is the only player among them not facing long rehabilitation.
Baseball needs Maddux to retire with at least 355 wins, and every fan needs to see him, Smoltz, and Glavine pitching in 2009.
[photo via Denis Poroy/AP]