On May 7, 1986, Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Garry Maddox announces his retirement at the age of 36. The slick-fielding, fleet center fielder won eight Gold Gloves.
As if to prove that 1975 was no fluke, Maddox proceeded to earn a Gold Glove in each of his first eight seasons as a Phillie.
Dubbed the “Secretary of Defense” in 1976 by Daily News columnist Bill Conlin, Maddox and his ballhawking prowess later provided inspiration for one of baseball’s better known quotes by Ralph Kiner “Two-thirds of the Earth is covered by water, the other one-third by Garry Maddox.” His style in the outfield, somewhere between a lope and a glide, was inimitable. With only an average arm, he specialized in running down drives that nobody else could catch, and his speed and jump on the ball helped on the springy artificial-turf surfaces of Veterans Stadium and other NL parks of the 1970s and 1980s.
In the 10th inning of the fifth and final game of the 1980 NLCS against the Houston Astros, his double scored Del Unser for the pennant-winning run. In the bottom half, he caught Enos Cabell’s fly ball for the final out to put the Phillies in the World Series for the first time since 1950. The Phillies beat the Kansas City Royals for their first World Championship.
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