Chiefs to retire Greg Maddux's jersey
Greg Maddux Jersey Retirement Night will take place at O'Brien Field on Fri, June 11, before the Chiefs host the Great Lakes Loons (Los Angeles Dodgers) at 7 p.m.
Maddux retired following the 2008 season as the eighth-winningest pitcher in MLB history. He is one of four pitchers in MLB history with more than 3,000 strikeouts and fewer than 1,000 walks. Maddux won a record 18 Gold Gloves, and was selected to eight All-Star teams. He set a NL record in 2001 with 72 1/3 innings without issuing a walk, and pitched in 35 playoff games. Maddux won four ERA titles, led the NL in shutouts five times, holds the MLB record for times leading the league in starts and also owns the record for seasons finishing in the top 10 in wins. Since 1920 only Warren Spahn has won more games. Both the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves have retired Maddux's number 31.
During the ceremony in Peoria, there will be a special video shown, and Maddux will address the crowd with Pete Vonachen, who was the Chiefs' president and general manager when Maddux played in Peoria in 1985. The future Hall-of-Famer will then throw out a ceremonial first pitch after his No. 31 jersey is displayed on the right-field wall. Maddux will be the third player to have his number retired in Peoria, joining his former Atlanta Braves teammate Wally Joyner (No. 6) and his former Chicago Cubs teammate Mark Grace (No. 17). Former Chiefs manager Ryne Sandberg has his No. 23 retired on the center-field flagpole.
On June 11, gates will open at 5 p.m., and Maddux will sign autographs for one hour from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. Fans must purchase a special autograph ticket to get in the autograph line. The Maddux Autograph Package will be $60, and includes a game ticket and a $50 autograph fee. The money raised from the autograph sales will be split evenly between St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the Children's Hospital of Illinois, and Easter Seals. The Maddux Autograph Package must be purchased at the O'Brien Field Box Office and there is a limit of two per customer.
Tickets will go on sale on Sat, May 15 at noon, and will only be available in person at the O'Brien Field Box Office, which will close at 2 p.m. Tickets are not available online or over the phone, and can only be purchased in person on Saturday. Sales are limited to the first 200 autograph packages.
Maddux was drafted by the Cubs out of Valley High School in Las Vegas, Nev., in the second round of the 1984 First-Year Player Draft, and was sent to Peoria for the 1985 season. Maddux started the Chiefs 1985 home opener two days shy of his 19th birthday and established a franchise debut record with 12 strikeouts over eight innings in a 4-1 win over the Springfield Cardinals.
Overall, in a Chiefs uniform, Maddux made 27 starts, all in 1985, going 13-9 with a 3.19 ERA. He struck out 125 batters and walked 52 in 186 innings while firing six complete games. He finished fourth in the Midwest League in wins and starts, fifth in innings pitched and 13th in ERA. Maddux threw a one-hitter against Cedar Rapids on May 14, 1985. He also batted .238 with a double and one RBI in 21 at-bats. Maddux helped the Chiefs into the playoffs under manager Pete Mackanin, and started Game Two of the finals, a 5-3 loss to Kenosha.
Maddux went 14-4 combined in Double-A and Triple-A in 1986 before making his Cubs debut in Sept. 1986 as a 20-year-old. His breakout season came in 1988, with an 18-8 record, and Maddux helped the Cubs to the 1989 NL East title with a 19-12 season and a 2.95 ERA. Maddux won his first NL Cy Young Award with the Cubs in 1992, with his first 20-win season and a 2.18 ERA over 35 starts. With 95 wins over his first seven seasons, Maddux left the Cubs in the 1992 offseason, signing a free agent contract with the Atlanta Braves.
The right-hander won another Cy Young Award in 1993 with a 20-10 record and a 2.36 ERA as the Braves won the NL Pennant. In the strike-shortened 1994 season, Maddux won his third straight Cy Young, with a 16-6 record and a 1.56 ERA. The 1995 season was magical for Maddux and the Braves as he won his fourth straight Cy Young Award with one of the best pitching seasons in the last 40 years and the Braves won their first World Series in Atlanta. In 28 starts in 1995, Maddux issued just 23 walks and posted a 19-2 record with a 1.63 ERA. He continued building a Hall of Fame resume with at least 15 wins and an ERA under 3.96 in each season from 1996 to 2003 with Atlanta.
Maddux returned to the Cubs as a free agent before the 2004 season and went 16-11 with a 4.02 ERA for Chicago that season. On Aug. 7, 2004, he notched his 300th career victory against the San Francisco Giants, and on July 26, 2005, he struck out his 3,000th batter, against the Giants, as well. Maddux went to the Dodgers in a June 2006 trade and helped Los Angeles to the playoffs. He signed with the San Diego Padres for the 2007 season and was traded back to the Dodgers in Aug. 2008, again helping Los Angeles to the playoffs. In the 2008 postseason, he threw one inning at Wrigley Field against the Cubs in Game One of the NLDS, his final appearance in Chicago as a player.
Maddux went 133-112 with a 3.61 ERA with the Cubs from 1986-92 and 2004-06. He is currently sixth in franchise history with 1,305 strikeouts and fifth in wins. He won one Cy Young with the Cubs and six Gold Gloves, and made two All-Star teams.
Maddux, 44, currently serves as an assistant to Cubs general manager, Jim Hendry. His responsibilities include assisting the coaching staffs at Spring Training, assisting in the development of Cubs' Minor Leaguers during the season, and assisting the baseball operations department in talent evaluation.