In a little blast from the past, we found a conversation Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux had about facing former great Barry Bonds.
Notably, Maddux walked Bonds 24 times in 157 PAs with just 16 strikeouts. Indeed, the pitcher with pinpoint control had no problem walking Bonds when he saw him step into the batter’s box. Furthermore, Maddux faced Bonds more than any other hitter in his career.
While Bonds had a lifetime .883 OPS against Maddux, there may no better pitcher to talk about how to pitch to the slugger than Maddux himself. Therefore, enjoy this listen brought to us all by Pitching Ninja Rob Friedman on twitter.
Greg Maddux on Barry Bonds being the easiest hitter to pitch to. [https://t.co/suycP8JCpy] pic.twitter.com/Ac5HyA0amP
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) December 9, 2019
Obviously with a little humor, Maddux tells us why Bonds was the easiest guy to pitch to. Upon hearing his answer, you will see why he puts it that way.
“Well you know actually though, he was the easiest guy to pitch to. Because if it mattered, you just walked him. He was a guy who was so much better than all the other hitters in the game, you have to pick your fights. You get 27 outs, they’re not gonna be with him. Go pick on the other eight guys and kind of find the outs that way.”
Of course, Bonds struck fear in the hearts of even the most competitive and savvy pitchers in the game of baseball. After hearing this, Greg Maddux admits he was no different. Interestingly enough, Maddux thought the best method of surviving a game with Barry Bonds was getting out his teammates.
In conclusion, it’s probably worth saying the pair had a ‘draw’ cumulatively over the course of their 157 showdowns; with Maddux ‘only’ allowing the .883 OPS lifetime to a guy who had a career 1.051 in that category. Yikes.
Also, look at the size of that coffee mug next to Mad-dog!
