Posted on: Monday, August 2, 2004
Cubs' Maddux stays at 299 victories
By Rick Gano
Associated Press
CHICAGO — The Phillies got to Greg Maddux. Then so did the heat. And by the time the Chicago Cubs rallied for a victory yesterday, his bid for win No. 300 was already over.
Associated Press His six-inning stint ended in a no-decision and denied him a piece of history.
"I'm just glad we won," he said.
After Maddux left trailing by a run, the Cubs scored four in the seventh, capped by an RBI single from Nomar Garciaparra, and beat Philadelphia, 6-3.
Chicago's new star shortstop was acquired from Boston in a four-team deal just before baseball's trade deadline Saturday.
"I think we were all hoping we'd get Maddux that win," Garciaparra said.
On a sticky, 83-degree day at Wrigley Field, Maddux left after throwing 87 pitches, 25 in the first inning, when he gave up homers to Jimmy Rollins and Bobby Abreu.
Philadelphia pushed across an unearned run for a 3-2 lead in the fifth on an error by Sammy Sosa.
Maddux told manager Dusty Baker after the fifth to watch him because he was running low on energy. And Maddux wasn't about to take a chance pitching when he had nothing left, even with No. 300 at stake.
"I would have loved to go out there and try not to walk somebody and just hope they would hit it at somebody. But it's not right," Maddux said.
"It's not fair to the rest of the guys. It's not the way you are supposed to play the game."
Maddux's next attempt to become the 22nd major league pitcher to reach 300 wins probably will come Saturday at San Francisco against Barry Bonds and the Giants.
"We didn't want Maddux to get 300 against us," Phillies manager Larry Bowa said. "I don't think anybody likes to see anybody get their 300th win against them, even though he's a Hall of Fame pitcher."
Commissioner Bud Selig, Atlanta general manager John Schuerholz and former Braves president Stan Kasten were there to watch yesterday along with a crowd of 39,032.
The 38-year-old Maddux is trying to become the first National League pitcher to reach 300 wins since Philadelphia's Steve Carlton in 1983. Roger Clemens accomplished the feat on his fourth try with the New York Yankees in June last season.
Maddux, a four-time Cy Young Award winner, gave up six hits and three runs — two earned — in six innings. He walked two and struck out two, leaving with the Cubs trailing 3-2.
Garciaparra finished 1 for 4 with an RBI, batting second in the lineup.
Kent Mercker (2-0) got one out for the win. LaTroy Hawkins earned his 16th save.
"I think I could have started the seventh. I don't know if I could have made it out of there or not. I was pretty much done after the fifth or sixth," Maddux said.
The Cubs' Nomar Garciaparra singled in a run in the seventh against Philadelphia. He was acquired from Boston on Saturday.
