Greg Maddux article

Tom Verducci had a nice little anecdote about Maddux's recent outings on si.com.

Here is that article:

Greatness, in Mad Dog Years

Wins With No Walks Greg Maddux 135 Don Sutton 67 Tom Glavine 54 Gaylord Perry 54 Roger Clemens 51 Randy Johnson 44 Tom Seaver 42 Phil Niekro 38 Pedro Martinez 36 Steve Carlton 26 Nolan Ryan 13

At 41, and with little velocity to speak of, Greg Maddux continues to enhance his reputation as not only one of the greatest pitchers of all time, but also one of the most efficient. He is 3-1 with a 2.61 ERA in August with no walks to the 122 batters he's faced. Take a look at his last start, pitching in the bandbox in Philadelphia. He won the game without walking a batter or throwing 90 pitches -- something that's been done by only three other visiting starting pitchers in the four-year history of Citizens Bank Ballpark (Randy Johnson, Andy Pettitte, and, from the Department of Which One Doesn't Belong, Jaret Wright.)

That got me thinking: Have we seen anybody like Maddux in our lifetime? The answer is no. Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez and Johnson may be valued higher because of their ability to throw hard and strike out batters, but what Maddux has done is more unique and, because he relies on pitching to contact -- poor contact -- more difficult.

Put it this way: Maddux's win in Philly was the 39th win of his career in which he went at least seven innings without walking a batter or throwing more than 90 pitches. Clemens (1), Martinez (1), Johnson (2) and Tom Glavine (6) have 10 such wins combined.

Also, his win at Philadelphia was the 135th of his career in which he did not walk a batter. When compared to his elite contemporaries and to modern 300-game winners, the guy is in a class by himself (see chart, above).

Oh, and one more thing. Maddux has made up five career wins on Clemens this year, and now trails him by 10 (353-343). It's not difficult to imagine Maddux pitching like this for two more seasons. So it's entirely possible that Maddux can supplant Clemens as The Winningest Pitcher Alive. And that's a title that will be held by either man for a long, long, long time.