Maddux Not Himself in Postseason

Atlanta’s Greg Maddux is considered the greatest pitcher of his generation by many.

He has won an unprecedented four consecutive Cy Young awards. He has won at least 18 games in five of his nine full seasons. He is a five-time all-star. He is a seven-time Gold Glove winner.

Yet, Maddux is not the same dominant pitcher once postseason play begins.

Maddux, who lost Game 2 of the National League championship series when he yielded eight runs in 6 2/3 innings, has been quite ordinary. He has a postseason record of 5-4 with a 4.14 earned-run average in 11 starts.

“It’s just one of those things,” Maddux says, shrugging.

Now, in a must-win game for the Braves, Maddux will be pitching tonight in Game 6 against the St. Louis Cardinals at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. If the Braves win, they will force Game 7 Thursday night in Atlanta. Lose, and the Cardinals will be going on to the World Series to play the New York Yankees.

“I’m just glad that I get to pitch again,” Maddux said. “I’m excited and happy about the opportunity. We have a chance.”

The Braves know that if they can win tonight, they will have Tom Glavine on the mound for Game 7. And they also know that Glavine has not lost a postseason game at home since 1992.

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Atlanta Manager Bobby Cox, in perhaps his biggest postseason gamble, will bench Eddie Perez, Maddux’s personal catcher, to keep Javier Lopez in the lineup.

“Javy’s caught [Maddux] a million times,” Cox said. “He’s swinging so good, there’s no reason to take him out. Javy’s probably swinging the bat better than anybody out there.”

Lopez, with three doubles, a home run and three RBIs, leads both teams with a .529 batting average and .882 slugging percentage.

The trouble has been Lopez’s defense and his incompatibility with Maddux.

Maddux was 10-5 with a 1.89 ERA in 17 starts this season with Perez behind the plate, yielding 87 hits and 12 walks in 114 innings.

Maddux was 5-6 with a 3.44 ERA in 18 starts with Lopez behind the plate, yielding 138 hits and 16 walks in 131 innings.

Maddux yielded three runs with Perez behind the plate in the first six innings in Game 2 against the Cardinals. When Lopez went behind the plate in the seventh, Maddux was tagged for five runs, including a grand slam by Gary Gaetti.

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Brave third baseman Terry Pendleton, one of Dodger center fielder Brett Butler’s best friends, said he’s sure Butler will play in 1997.

“There’s no doubt in my mind,” Pendleton said. “He’ll be back. He’s got that competitive fire. If he’s not back with the Dodgers, believe me, he’ll be with somebody.”