News
Notable dates: Jenkins and Maddux
Cubs to retire No. 31 of both pitchers Sunday afternoon
By Carrie Muskat / MLB.com
05/02/09 11:46 AM ET
CHICAGO -- The Cubs will retire No. 31 on Sunday in honor of Ferguson Jenkins and Greg Maddux. The pregame ceremony is scheduled to begin at 12: 40 p.m. CT at Wrigley Field. Here are some other memorable numbers and dates attached to the two former Cubs pitchers.Ferguson Jenkins
Jenkins won the Cy Young Award in 1971 when he went 24-13 with a 2.77 ERA in 39 starts. He still leads the Cubs all-time in games started (347) and strikeouts (2,038). Jenkins led the team in wins seven times, in ERA six times, and in strikeouts eight times.
The Cubs traded for Jenkins on April 21, 1966, getting the right-hander along with Adolfo Phillips and John Herrnstein from the Phillies in exchange for Larry Jackson and Bob Buhl.
He made his Cubs debut two days later, throwing 5 1/3 innings in relief and picking up the win over the Dodgers, 2-0. Jenkins also drove in both Chicago runs, hitting a home run off Don Sutton in the fifth for his first Major League hit, and adding a RBI single in the seventh.
Jenkins made his first Major League start on May 21, 1966, against Atlanta, and did not get a decision. He officially moved into the Cubs rotation on Aug. 25, 1966, and beat the Mets, 3-2. Jenkins would remain in the rotation through the end of the '73 season.
In 1971, he had two stretches in which he threw eight consecutive complete games: April 20-May 23, and July 6-Aug. 7. Jenkins threw 24 complete games in 28 starts between July 21, 1970, and May 23, 1971. Imagine pitchers today doing that.
Here are some other noteworthy dates for Jenkins:
• Aug. 31, 1967: He appeared in a game but didn't pitch for the only time in his career. Jenkins was used as a pinch-runner for Ernie Banks in the 11th and scored the winning run in the Cubs' 2-1 victory over the Mets.
• April 20, 1969: Struck out 10 to win his 50th Major League game in a 6-3 win over the Expos.
• May 7, 1969: Tossed a 12-inning complete game, one of 14 times he would go at least 10 innings in a game.
• June 9, 1970: Registered his 1,000th Major League strikeout (Chris Cannizzaro) during a 12-strikeout performance against the Padres.
• June 27, 1970: Set a career high (equaled two other times) when he struck out 14 in a game versus the Pirates.
• June 4, 1971: Shutout Atlanta, 11-0, to record his 100th career win (against 73 losses).
• Aug. 20, 1971: Beat Houston, 3-2, to improve his record to 20-9, the earliest date he won his 20th game in a year as a Cub.
• May 25, 1982: Struck out Garry Templeton in the third inning of a 2-1 loss to the Padres to become the seventh pitcher in MLB history to record 3,000 career strikeouts.
• Sept. 21, 1983: Pitching 1 2/3 innings in relief, Jenkins recorded his final MLB win with a 7-6 victory over the Pirates.
• July 21, 1991: Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.
Greg Maddux
Maddux is expected to join Jenkins in the Hall of Fame when he's eligible. The right-hander won his first Cy Young while with the Cubs in 1992. A six-time Gold Glove winner in Chicago, he led the team in wins six times, in ERA four times, and in games started seven times. His magical season was '92 when he led the National League in wins, games started, and innings pitched, and ranked third in strikeouts and shutouts.
Maddux was selected in the second round of the 1984 First-Year Player Draft on scout Doug Mapson's recommendation, and made his Major League debut Sept. 3, 1986. The game actually started the previous day and had been called because of darkness. Maddux came in as a pinch-runner in the 17th and stayed in to pitch the 18th. He picked up the loss, giving up a home run to Houston's Billy Hatcher.
Maddux's first Major League start was Sept. 7, 1986, against Cincinnati, when he threw a complete game victory and picked up two hits himself in an 11-3 win.
Here's some other noteworthy dates for Maddux:
• Sept. 29, 1986: Defeated his brother, Mike, and the Phillies, 8-3, as the two rookie brothers faced each other as starting pitchers for the first time in MLB history.
• July 1, 1987: Tossed his first shutout, limiting the Expos to four hits in a 1-0 win.
• July 7, 1987: Leading 5-2 in the fourth, Maddux sacrificed a potential win when he hit San Diego's Benito Santiago with a pitch and was ejected. Moments earlier, San Diego's Eric Show beaned Andre Dawson, which set off a bench-clearing brawl.
• Sept. 24, 1987: Fanned 10 batters in a game for the first time in his career but did not get a decision vs. the Phillies. Maddux would reach double-digits in strikeouts 16 times during his career, five times with the Cubs.
• July 12, 1988: At 22, Maddux is named to the All-Star team, the youngest Cubs player ever selected. He does not pitch in the game.
• Sept. 13, 1988: Beat the Phillies, 9-2, to become the first Cubs pitcher since Jenkins in 1971 to beat every NL team at least once in the same season.
• Sept. 26, 1989: Picked up the win, with relief help from Mitch Williams, as the Cubs clinched the NL East title with a 3-2 victory over Montreal.
• April 7, 1992: Made his only Opening Day start as a Cub, picking up a win in the 4-3 victory over the Phillies.
• Sept. 30, 1992: Shut out the Pirates, 6-0, to win his 20th game of the year and become the Cubs' first 20-game winner since Rick Reuschel in 1977.
• Dec. 19, 1992: Having filed for free agency in October, Maddux signed with the Atlanta Braves. He rejoined the Cubs on Feb. 18, 2004.
• Aug. 7, 2004: In San Francisco, Maddux led the Cubs to an 8-4 win to register his 300th MLB win (against 170 losses). At that time, he was the 22nd pitcher to reach the milestone.
• Sept. 23, 2004: Threw six innings to beat the Pirates and picked up his 15th win to become the first pitcher in MLB history to win 15 or more games in 17 consecutive seasons.
• April 29, 2005: Beat fellow 300-game winner Roger Clemens, 3-2, in Houston. The game marked the first time since 1987 that two 300-game winners started against each other, and the first time in the National League since 1897.
• July 26, 2005: Became the 13th pitcher in MLB history to record 3,000 strikeouts when he fanned Omar Vizquel of the Giants in the third inning at Wrigley Field.
• Sept. 22, 2005: Threw eight shutout innings against the Brewers to win his 13th game of the year and join Cy Young as the only pitchers to win at least 13 games in at least 18 consecutive seasons.
• Oct. 1, 2008: Made his final Wrigley Field appearance, throwing one shutout inning of relief to complete the Dodgers' 7-2 win over the Cubs in Game 2 of the NL Division Series.
Carrie Muskat is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
