(Updated Jan. 8, 2014)
Greg Maddux lost to the Cardinals more than he did against any other club.
That doesn’t diminish the career accomplishments of Maddux, who was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America on Jan. 8, 2014.
Rather it’s a tribute to the Cardinals for often solving a pitcher who dominated the sport throughout the 1990s.
The Cardinals beat Maddux 22 times _ 20 in the regular season and twice in the postseason. The Phillies came closest to matching St. Louis, beating Maddux 20 times in the regular season and once in the postseason.
Maddux, who pitched for the Cubs, Braves, Dodgers and Padres from 1986-2008, was 26-20 with a 2.84 ERA versus the Cardinals in the regular season and 1-2 in the postseason.
The right-hander had the most regular-season wins in his career against the Mets (35) and Giants (31).
In his 23 seasons in the big leagues, Maddux was 355-227 in the regular season. He won four consecutive Cy Young awards (1992-95), 18 Gold Glove awards and led the National League in ERA four times. He posted at least 15 wins in 17 consecutive seasons (1988-2006).
Several players who spent at least parts of their careers with the Cardinals hit well against Maddux. Among the best: Pedro Guerrero, .405 (17-for-42); Albert Pujols, .341 (14-for-41); Vince Coleman, .328 (20-for-61); Jose Oquendo, .317 (13-for-41); Edgar Renteria, .314 (16-for-51) and Scott Rolen, .314 (22-for-70).
Power vs. pitching
Ray Lankford hit four career home runs against Maddux (three as a Cardinal; one as a Padre) and Pujols hit three homers (all as a Cardinal) versus Maddux.
One of those home runs by Pujols came in a game when the Cardinals hit three off Maddux.
On July 9, 2004, Renteria, Pujols and Jim Edmonds each hit a solo homer against Maddux in a 6-1 Cardinals victory over the Cubs at St. Louis. Maddux yielded four runs and eight hits in six innings.
“I tip my hat to Renteria and Edmonds,” Maddux said to the Chicago Sun-Times. “I didn’t think they were bad pitches. Pujols, I left that up. It’s not surprising he hit it out.”
Bernie Miklasz, columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, credited Cardinals manager Tony La Russa for the rare rout of Maddux that night.
Wrote Miklasz: “La Russa protested after home plate umpire Derryl Cousins gave Cubs starter Greg Maddux a strike zone so large you could have driven the team bus through it. La Russa got ejected, which, according to the Chicago Sun-Times, prompted laughter from Cubs manager Dusty Baker. It might have been a coincidence, but the strike zone narrowed and the Cardinals teed off on Maddux.” Boxscore
Fast and effective
The best game Maddux pitched against the Cardinals was a two-hit shutout on Aug. 20, 1995, in a 1-0 Braves victory at St. Louis.
“That’s probably the best I’ve ever thrown,” Maddux told the Post-Dispatch. “That’s as good as I can throw the ball.”
Brian Jordan singled in the fifth and Danny Sheaffer doubled in the sixth for the lone St. Louis hits. It was the quickest big-league game of the 1995 season, finishing in 1:50.
“That happened so fast I don’t even think my wife made it in time,” Jordan said. “She usually doesn’t get here until the later innings.” Boxscore
Previously: Near no-hitter by Alan Benes became crushing loss
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