It's always fun to watch retired players in any sport reminiscing about their own careers. We remember how we had our eyes glued to Michael Jordan's “The Last Dance,” for instance. Besides on-court or on-field drama, though, learning about how these players approached the game and competition is even more exciting. Just watch this video of MLB legend Barry Bonds and Hall of Famer Greg Maddux remembering their epic battles, shared by Not Gaetti on X, formerly Twitter.
In the video, the two former players review a 1998 game between Bonds' San Francisco Giants and Maddux's Atlanta Braves.
“'98? I can't remember–I'm 60 years old, I can't remember back that far,” Bonds begins the video, laughing.
Bonds vs. Maddux
It's incredible how both players remembered the exact thinking that went into their in-game chess match after more than 20 years. First, Maddux describes his approach toward facing one of the greatest MLB players of all time.
“You know, first inning, it's kind of too early to pitch around somebody, so you're gonna try to get them out,” he said. Reviewing his first pitch, he added, “Pretty good cutter that beat him. I'm feeling okay about throwing that pitch.”
Incredibly, even though the two men were in separate rooms, it seemed as though Bonds had read Maddux's next move perfectly. Just listen to his response.
“He's gonna try to float a change-up or some of that little floater away. He thinks I'm gonna speed up, because they jammed me,” the MLB legend said.
The back-and-forth continues until Maddux miscalculates and serves Bonds a homer on a platter.
“And there it goes,” he said. “Can't come in the well twice, buddy. You just can't do it. And Greg knows 'cause I always have this saying, ‘You cannot come in the penthouse without an invite.'”
After watching the replay, Maddux admitted that pitching to great hitters required something different.
“I mean, that's a good pitch, believe it or not,” he said. “That's an executed pitch, but obviously, it's the wrong pitch to throw. That's one you gotta put in the memory bank and try not to throw it ever again to him. He's the best in baseball, and you can't make it easy for him. That's the pitch he wants to hit, so you have to make him hit something other than that.”
“I think that was the one where I finally said, ‘I got you now,'” Bonds said. “There's nothing you can do now.”
In his 23 seasons, Greg Maddux won four Cy Young Awards and the 1995 World Series with the Braves. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2014. Meanwhile, most baseball fans would consider Barry Bonds as one of the greatest baseball players of all time, winning 7 NL MVP awards and 14 All-Star selections. Moreover, Bonds has the most home runs in a single season with 73 and most career homers with 762.
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