re: Greg Maddux faced 20,421 batters in his career, only 133 saw a 3-0 count

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Greg Maddux

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Saw an interview with him years and years ago where he said the secret to his success was slowing down when he got behind. Most pitchers when they need a strike get antsy and try and juice up that fastball another 2-3 mph - all that does is flatten the trajectory and elevate it for the batter. Maddux said he would try and take a little bit off when he really needed to nail a pitch.

I mean, it sounds really easy, but it's the mark of his mental toughness to be able to maintain that level of emotional control on the mound.