Cooperstown Bound
By JeromeFromDecatur:
In case you missed it between your ESPN hourly updates of Roger Clemens plunking Portland Sea Dogs in the back, John Smoltz just did something no one has done before.
Smoltz became the first pitcher in Major League Baseball History to win 200 games while also saving 150 games on Thursday night.
Its hard to compare what Smoltz did tonight to other pitching milestones. And therein lies the brilliance of Smoltz’s accomplishment. Literally, in this case, no one compares to number 29.
While Dennis Eckersley is remembered for being the modern era’s most dominant closer, he made the transition to the bullpen as a desperate last resort. After bouncing around the big leagues (five different teams) as a so-so starter, Eckersley was out of options.
Smoltz made the transition to the pen and back again and is arguably a better starting pitcher now. While “The Eck’s” career is certainly Hall of Fame worthy, it’ll always be defined by losing Game One of the 1988 World Series and giving up a game winning home run to a one-legged man.
Eckersley: Superior Only in Facial Hair
If Baseball Greatness is measured by how pitchers pitch in October, than no one is better than John Andrew Smoltz. Again, by no one, we mean no one.
Smoltz leads Major League Baseball in all time post season wins and strikeouts. Come clutch time, no one has done it more often or better than Smoltz. Why isn’t this statistic emphasized more? Why are baseball’s talking heads speaking tonight as if surprised that Smoltz will someday be in the Hall of Fame? Some of it has to do with Smoltz being surrounded by the relative greatness of Glavine and Maddux for years.
And some of it has to do the general public’s Braves Fatigue when it comes to the playoffs. And some of it has to do with the Tragedy that if Lonnie Smith had kept running in 1991, Smoltz, and not Jack Morris, would be remembered as the winner of the Greatest Baseball Game Ever Played.
The baseball spotlight will briefly shine on forty year old John Smoltz and his accomplishment, before it returns to the suspiciously muscular and angry, number three starter for the Trenton Thunder and the blog of political pundit/American Historian and sometime starting pitcher Curt Schilling. But John Smoltz will soldier on. He’ll be traveling with his team. He’ll take the ball when called upon. He’ll be pitching hurt. And down the stretch, when it matters most, he’ll be at his best.
But for those of us who’ve been paying attention, Smoltz’s brilliance won’t exactly be news.
JeromeFromDecatur
Braves Fan
8 comments:
This got a lot of talk on the radio the other day. The question was raised whether Smoltz gets into the HOF. I can't see why it would be a question, but I have heard some commentators - people who have votes - wonder out loud if 200 wins gets you in these days or if 150 saves would get you in, as if to say it has to be one or the other. Hopefully, he's the guy that didn't vote for Hank Aaron either.
I love Smoltz as much as the next guy, I thought about going to the game Thursday, but like an idiot, I didn't. I hope Smoltz will make the HOF. But Eck had 197 wins and 390 saves. I think Smoltz is going to have to get to at least 250 wins if he is going to get the votes- not because he isn't deserving, but because he will need the votes. But hopefully, he will continue to win games and help the Braves win a few more penants and maybe a WS.
I love Smoltz even more for getting tossed out along with Cox at todays game with the Phillies
No question he belongs in the Hall.
John Smoltz is my favorite Brave of all-time, passing Dale Murphy sometime in the last couple of years. Greatest pitcher I've ever seen, it's too bad he couldn't have stayed a bit more healthy in his career.
And just as icing on the cake, not only does Smoltz have the most post-season wins and post-season strikeouts, he also has the most post-season hits made by a pitcher. Sweet.
Smoltz IS the Atlanta Braves for me. He was there when they were horrible in '90...and then ascended to the World Series in '91 (Yeah, the same World Series where Kent Hrbek cheated). He's been as consistent a pitcher as you could ever hope to find. By his own admission, he's pitching as well as he ever has in his long career. I know stats are about the only thing the Hall considers, but if class and character were a factor, he'd be in already. Now, if we can only find a 3rd, 4th, and 5th pitcher in the rotation....Viva La Smoltz!
I, as a lifelong Dodgers fan, have to take at least a little bit of offense to the reduction of one of baseball's more cherised memories as 'giving up a homerun to a one-legged man'.
And just to rub it in for all you Braves fans, over the past twenty years, the Dodgers and Braves have the exact same number of world championships: one.
I'll never forget that stupid pennant race in '91. Bleh. ;)
Look, he has broken records set by other people, and set his own that noone else has broken, 194 postseason strikeouts, 15-4 postseason record, 2.65 postseason era, 3.26 career era, almost won a cy young award as a closer, a position that very few starting pitchers can make at all, but Smoltz took right to it and got more saves (55) in 2002 than Mariano Rivera or Trevor Hoffman have ever had in one season, alltogether 154, along with his 207wins, that makes him a loner in that category with 150+ saves and 200+wins, his demeanor, his classy, and resilient style, his charitable nature, determination, mounted awards for his excellence and generosity, the only player part of every one of the Braves 14 consecutive division titles, 2,975 career strikeouts, just 25 short of 3,000, I mean I'm just scratching the surface with this, he also helped his team to be the 1st and only team to win in an LCS after being down 3-1 with a no run on 7 hits on 7 innings of work a game that they won 14-0 and got an LCS record 22 hits, he was also the only pitcher to win 2 games in that series, alltogether, he had a 24-8 regular season in 96, the all star game start and decision with a win, and a 4-1 postseason record that year, when he is on the mound you'll notice he brings out the best in every player, one example is after losing 13-3 to Boston one day during the 2007 season, he started the next game, allowed no runs on 3 hits over 7 innings, the Braves got 14 runs on 18 hits when earlier that same day they allowed 18 hits, I mean an NLCS MVP in 1992, pitched the game that gave the Braves a 1 game lead over the dodgers in their historic worst to first season in '91, pitched the game against houston that helped atlanta win the division title, went 2-0 against pittsburgh in the NLCS, with a 10-3 win, and the series clinching game with a 4-0 complete game shutout, that's not even all, but that's more than enough, Vote him in, stats don't lie, you can tell this isn't just me wishing he could be in the Hall of Fame just because he is my favorite player of all time, he has earned it time and time again, then after a certain point in his career, everything else was just icing on the cake
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