John Smoltz
A Detroit native, John Smoltz was drafted by his hometown Tigers. Yet in September of 1987, Detroit traded him to the Braves for Doyle Alexander, in a deal that netted the Tigers the division title in the short term, and Atlanta a pitching ace for more than 15 years. Starting in 1993, Smoltz teamed with Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux to form one of the most formidable pitching trios in baseball history. The three hurlers guided Atlanta to the 1995, 1996, and 1999 National League flags. Smoltz also pitched for the Braves in the 1991 and 1992 Fall Classics.
Right-handed Smoltz was a hard thrower, fanning more than 200 batters four times, and leading the league in 1992 and 1996. In 2008, he recorded his 3,000th strikeout, becoming the 16th pitcher to reach that plateau. He won the Cy Young Award in 1996, when he was 24-8 with 276 K's for the pennant-winning Braves. In 2002, recovering from an arm injury that had shelved him the previous season, he was moved to the bullpen to become the team's closer, a role which he initially embraced. Out of the pen he set a National League record with 55 saves, just two shy of the major league mark, and earned the Rolaids Relief Man Award. In 2005, he returned to the rotation for the Braves.
Played For
Atlanta Braves (1988-2005)
All-Time Rankings
John Smoltz ranks #34 among the Top 50 all-time at SP. Rankings ⇒
Best Season: 1996
Smoltz paced the NL in strikeouts (276) and won the Cy Young Award, giving the Braves the honor in five of the previous six seasons. He was 4-1 with a 0.95 ERA in 38 IP in the post-season.
Factoids
John Smoltz is the first pitcher to win the Cy Young Award as a starting pitcher, and later win the Rolaids Relief Man Award for leading the league in saves (1996 and 2002).
Where He Played
Starting pitcher (361 games), relief pitcher (168 games), through 2003.
Born
John Andrew Smoltz was born on May 15, 1967, in Detroit, MI.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Primary Position: P
Primary Team: ATL
Major League Debut
July 23, 1988
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1988
Craig Biggio
Roberto Alomar
Mark Grace
Gary Sheffield
Brady Anderson
John Smoltz
Randy Johnson
Curt Schilling
Gregg Olson
Nicknames
Smoltzie
Uniform Numbers
#29 (1988-)
Similar Players
Curt Schilling
Related Players
Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux and Steve Avery were on the Braves' starting pitching staff with Smoltz in the laste 1980s and 1990s... Dennis Eckersley also made a successful switch from starter to closer.
Post-Season Appearances
1991 National League Championship Series
1991 World Series
1992 National League Championship Series
1992 World Series
1993 National League Championship Series
1995 National League Championship Series
1995 National League Divisional Series
1995 World Series
1996 National League Divisional Series
1996 World Series
1996 National League Championship Series
1997 National League Championship Series
1997 National League Divisional Series
1998 National League Divisional Series
1998 National League Championship Series
1999 National League Divisional Series
1999 National League Championship Series
2001 National League Championship Series
2001 National League Divisional Series
2002 National League Divisional Series
2003 National League Divisional Series
2004 National League Divisional Series
2005 National League Divisional Series
Post-Season Notes
Smoltz's brilliant performance in Game Seven of the 1991 World Series is overshadowed by Jack Morris's 10-inning shutout victory in that contest. For seven innings, Smoltz shut out the Twins before giving way to the bullpen, who lost the game in the bottom of the 10th. Smoltz fashioned a 1.29 ERA in 14 innings in that series, striking out 11 batters and issuing just one walk. He did not receive a decision in either of his starts in the '91 Fall Classic, after going 2-0 in the NLCS. In 1992, Smoltz ran his career post-season record to 5-0 when he won two more games in the NLCS and Game Five of the WS, in a rematch against Morris (now with the Blue Jays). Smoltz ran his post-season mark to 9-1 through Game One of the 1996 World Series.
Awards and Honors
1992 NL NLCS MVP
1996 NL Cy Young
2002 NL Rolaids Relief
Pitching Feats
Transactions
June 3, 1985: Drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 22nd round of the 1985 amateur draft; August 12, 1987: Traded by the Detroit Tigers to the Atlanta Braves for Doyle Alexander; October 31, 1996: Granted Free Agency; November 20, 1996: Signed as a Free Agent with the Atlanta Braves; November 5, 2001: Granted Free Agency; December 4, 2001: Signed as a Free Agent with the Atlanta Braves.
All-Star Selections
1989 NL
1992 NL
1993 NL
1996 NL
2002 NL
2003 NL
2005 NL
Replaced
Right-hander Kevin Coffman, as the Braves' fifth starter in 1988.
Replaced By
TBD
Best Strength as a Player
Clutch perfomance and willingness to do anything to help his team win.
Largest Weakness as a Player
No glaring weaknesses.
Learn More about John Smoltz
Search Amazon.com for Books about John Smoltz ⇒
Search for John Smoltz at Google ⇒
View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒
