Maddux announces retirement

Dec 8, 2008 - 7:54 PM LAS VEGAS (Ticker) -- "The Mad Dog" is done barking.

Greg Maddux, arguably the greatest pitcher of his generation, officially announced his retirement Monday at the winter meetings, calling it quits after 23 seasons in the major leagues.

"I'm just here to say thank you," he said. "I appreciate everything the game's given me. It's going to be hard to walk away, but it's time. I have a family now and I need to spend more time with them.

"I still think I can play the game, but not as well as I want, so it's time to say good bye."

Nicknamed "The Mad Dog" for his competitiveness, Maddux has more wins than any pitcher alive and ranks eighth on the all-time list with 355 victories - one more than Roger Clemens.

The future Hall of Famer also was known for his fielding - winning a record 18 Gold Glove awards - and pinpoint control.

Maddux posted a career record of 355-227 with a 3.16 ERA, 109 complete games and 35 shutouts with the Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres.

Never an overpowering pitcher, Maddux relied heavily on his control and location, finishing with only 999 walks in 5,008 1/3 career innings - an average of under one per nine innings. He was not as successful in the playoffs, however, logging a career mark of 11-14 with a 3.31 ERA.

During his 11 seasons with the Braves from 1993-2003, Maddux was part of one of the best rotations in major league history that included long-time Atlanta pitchers Tom Glavine and John Smoltz.

Maddux, who turns 43 in April, captured four straight Cy Young Awards from 1992-1995, although his only World Series title came in 1995, when the Braves defeated the Cleveland Indians in six games.

During the 1990s, Maddux led the major leagues with 176 wins and help turned the former cellar-dwelling Braves into perennial playoff participants.

The Braves won the National League East Division title in 10 of Maddux's 11 seasons in Atlanta, the only exception being the 1994 strike season.

"We were getting ready for the postseason, we weren't getting ready for the season," Maddux said of his days in Atlanta. "We did a little less in spring training because we knew our season was going to be seven months, not six. We had that winning attitude in spring training."

An eight-time All-Star, Maddux won at least 13 games in 20 straight seasons, a streak that ended this year, when he combined to go 8-13 with the Padres and Dodgers.

Following the 2003 campaign, he left the Braves, re-signing with the Cubs, the team with which he began his major league career in 1986.

In 2004, Maddux set a major league record by winning at least 15 games in his 17th consecutive season.

He began last season with the Padres and finished the year working mostly out of the bullpen for the National League West champion Dodgers.

Maddux said he told his teammates before the start of last year that he intended to retire at the end of the season, but didn't want to make it public.

"I don't think they believed me, but I think I was telling the truth," he said. "I didn't want a dog and pony show the last couple months of the season."

Maddux went 14-11 with the Padres in 2007, and the team decided to exercise its option on him for the 2008 season. After going 6-9 in 26 starts, San Diego traded him to Los Angeles for the stretch run.

He posted a 2-4 record in his second stint with the Dodgers, then made three relief appearances in the playoffs, recording a 0.00 ERA in four innings.