Chicago Cubs: Recalling Greg Maddux’s second stint in Chicago

February 18, 2004. We learned Greg Maddux was signing with the Chicago Cubs after spending the previous 11 years with the Atlanta Braves. Maddux was returning to the team he began his Hall of Fame career with, and to a fanbase that was devastated to see him leave after the 1992 season. This was not just about righting a wrong, this was about winning a World Series.

Maddux signed a three-year deal in 2004 to join a rotation comprised of young phenoms Mark Prior, Kerry Wood and Carlos Zambrano. The Cubs were coming off their trip to the NLCS in 2003 where they were just five outs from reaching the World Series before the wheels fell off. With the addition of the four-time Cy Young winner and eight-time All Star, this rotation looked like it could be one of the best in a very long time.

At the time he signed his reunion deal with the Cubs, he was 37 years old and boasted a career 2.89 ERA, 3.07 FIP, 1.13 WHIP, 2,765 strikeouts and only 838 walks in 575 games. In fact, his final appearance in a Braves uniform came in the 2003 NLDS at Wrigley Field when Prior beat him in Game 3 to take a 2-1 series lead.

How did Maddux fare in his second stint with the Cubs? Here is a dive into it.