Greg Maddux celebrates 54th birthday by raising funds for COVID-19 relief

Cubs Hall of Famer Greg Maddux is celebrating his 54th birthday Tuesday by raising money for those who have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Maddux created a GoFundMe and promised to match all donations up to $54,000. The money will be split evenly between Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, Feeding America and Candlelighters, a nonprofit dedicated to childhood cancer, Maddux wrote in the description of the fundraiser page.

“Thank you for donating to my page, any amount is appreciated!” Maddux wrote.

As of 5:30 p.m., Maddux’s GoFundMe had already raised more than $6,000.

Maddux, now an analyst for MLB Network, encouraged people to follow his twitter @gregmaddux, where he’ll be sharing updates on the fundraiser’s progress. He’s also live-tweeting reruns from some of his favorite career games this week on MLB Network.

Maddux, who was drafted by the Cubs in 1984, played his first seven seasons of 23-year major-league career in Chicago, where he captured his first Cy Young Awards in 1992.

After a contract dispute the following offseason, Maddux joined the Braves as a free agent and won three more Cy Young Awards. He rejoined the Cubs in 2004 but was traded to the Dodgers in 2006.

Maddux, an eight-time All-Star, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014.