Greg Maddux’s genius was even greater than we realized

MLB Network is set to take Atlanta Braves fans and fans of baseball in general on a trip down memory lane on August 25. On Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET, MLB Network will air "One of a Kind", a documentary that takes the viewer through an in-depth look into the life and career of baseball legend, Greg Maddux.

Nicknamed The Professor, Maddux was known for his baseball IQ and his ability to always improve on his craft. On Sunday night, baseball fans will get an in-depth look as to why Maddux lived up to that nickname so well.

Until then, we've had a few clips from the documentary that give us a bit of a glimpse into the level that Maddux took his game to.

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Greg Maddux documentary makes 'The Professor's' dominance even more impressive

The sport of baseball is all about scoring runs and not allowing your opponent to score. But for Maddux, the game was a bit deeper than that.

He matched up with slugger Jeff Bagwell early on in the year one season. Maddux's catcher, Eddie Perez, recalls that Maddux emphasized before the game that he didn't want to go inside against Bagwell, as he crushed those pitches.

Late in the game, holding a huge lead, Maddux changed the gameplan, opting to throw Bagwell an inside heater, one that Bagwell crushed for a home run. Perez, was, rightfully so, very angry at the decision and the outcome, but Maddux quickly justified his thinking. Why in the world would such a smart and talented pitcher make such a stupid pitch?

"They've got a good team. We've got a good team. We're going to play them in the playoffs and he's going to wait for that pitch," Perez said. "Three months later, we're in the playoffs. Bases loaded in the seventh. We threw three straight changeups and struck him [Bagwell] out."

Are you kidding me?

This story wouldn't even seem real if there wasn't video evidence and the box scores to back up what Perez had recalled.

It was also revealed, by multiple teammates, that Maddux would call his own pitches to the catcher by the way he caught the ball and acted on the mound. The exact signs and everything is a bit complicated, so just take a look for yourself.

Maddux successfully called his own pitches to the catcher for the length of his career. He avoided having his signs picked and he avoided having to shake the catcher off, successfully staying in rhythm.

Again, this doesn't even seem like a real story that could happen in the game of baseball if it weren't for the video evidence to back it up.

You're going to want to tune in to the MLB Network documentary, "One of a Kind" on Sunday night.