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Padres pitcher Greg Maddux notched his 350th career win Sunday against the Colorado Rockies. 350....for baseball fans, the enormity of that feat is obvious. For the non-baseball folks, consider this: Maddux is one of only 9 pitchers in the history of Major League Baseball (baseball began tracking stats in the late 1800s) to achieve this feat. More than that, he may be the last pitcher to ever achieve that mark. The next closest active player is former Braves' teammate Tom Glavine. Glavine has 303 career victories, but almost certainly won't be active long enough to get 47 more wins. In fact, beyond Glavine, you would be hard pressed to find a pitcher with a legitimate shot at 300 wins.

Randy Johnson sits 14 away, but his back likely will force him to retire. Mike Mussina, 45 shy, is clearly on his last legs. Pedro Martinez had a very good shot at it until injuries began to overwhelm him in his 30s. Tim Hudson has averaged 15.5 wins over his 9 full seasons, and sits at 140 for is career. At 33 years old, he would actually have to improve his average season AND play until he was 42 to have a realistic shot. Johan Santana would probably have had a decent shot, but he didn't pitch his first full season until he was 24. He is now 29 and just shy of 100 wins - probably not likely to average 20 wins a season for the next 10 years.

In the grand scheme of things, Greg Maddux reaching 350 career wins is not all that important. But for the sports-minded, its always worth noting when we can be a part of something that likely will never happen again. Hats off to Maddux, and good luck to all those who are following his lead.

So now, the question: Is Greg Maddux the best pitcher of his generation? The argument can scarcely be made for anyone but him, Roger Clemens, Glavine, and Randy Johnson. This is especially true when you consider wins, era, longevity, and dominance over said period of longevity. Lets looks at a quick comparison:

Maddux: 350 -217, 3.12 ERA, 3299 Ks, 977 BB', 2 20-win seasons

Clemens: 354-184, 3.12 ERA, 4672 Ks, 1580 BBs, 6 20-win seasons

Glavine: 303-200, 3.51 ERA, 2584 Ks, 1479 BBs, 5 20-win seasons

Johnson: 287-151, 3.24 ERA, 4648 Ks, 1433 BBs, 3 20-win seasons

Maddux didn't strike out nearly as many as Clemens or Randy Johnson. He also has by far the fewest walks allowed of any of the four. He is also free of steroid-controversy, and has always been considered a clubhouse asset. My vote goes to Maddux. The sport may never see another one like him.

Learn more about this author, Dan Mason.
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