Throwback Thursdays: August 10, 1997 Greg Maddux gets paid
On August 10, 1997, Atlanta Braves pitcher Greg Maddux signs an MLB-record 5 year $57.7mil contract.
Four Cy Youngs, 18 Gold Gloves, four-time MLB ERA leader, a lifetime WAR of 116.7 (via FanGraphs) stretched across 23 seasons and a first ballot Hall-of-Famer in 2014 to boot. Maddux is in the conversation as one of the game’s great pitchers and was definitely one of the most dominant (and consistent) pitchers of his era. He led all starting in pitchers in WAR in the 90’s (1990 to 1999 seasons) with 69.8 wins above replacement, finishing ahead of Hall of Fame caliber talents like Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, John Smoltz and Tom Glavine.
