Greg Maddux made his Braves debut 27 years ago Sunday
It was twenty-seven years ago Sunday, April 5, that Greg Maddux made his debut in a Braves uniform. Maddux pitched 8.1 shutout innings and allowed five hits, walked three and struck out four in what would become a very typical Greg Maddux-like performance for the right-hander.
Maddux had an incredible first season for the Braves. He was 20-10 with a 2.36 earned run average, 228 hits allowed in 267 innings pitched, with 52 walks and 197 strikeouts in 36 starts.
He was particularly strong down the stretch, as the Braves went on an unbelievable run to catch the San Francisco Giants in the National League West race. Maddux was 8-2 in his final 12 starts in August and September, with a 1.46 ERA in 92.1 innings pitched.
Maddux was named the Cy Young Award winner for the second of what would be four-straight seasons winning the honor. Maddux received 20 of the 24 first place votes, with his teammate Tom Glavine getting the other four votes.
Surprisingly, Maddux was not effective in the 1993 postseason. He pitched two games against the Phillies in the National League Championship Series and was 1-1 with a 4.97 ERA. He allowed seven earned runs in 12.2 innings, with seven walks and 11 strikeouts.
Maddux had a tremendous 11-year run in Atlanta. He was 194-88 with a 2.63 ERA in 363 starts. He finished his career by going back to Chicago to play a season-and-a-half with the Cubs and then parts of two seasons each with the Dodgers and Padres.
He entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014 after winning 355 games, eighth-most in MLB history.