In the third inning of Tuesday's Braves-Nationals game, John Smoltz recorded his 3,000th career strikeout in front of the Atlanta crowd.
Felipe Lopez was the victim of a Smoltz splitter for the second out of the third inning. Lopez went down swinging at the pitch and winced after being victim number 3,000.
After the strikeout, Smoltz was greeted by catcher Brian McCann and given the ball before being congratulated by the Braves infield.
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4 months ago
Not a Braves fan but congrats to Mr. Smoltz!
4 months ago
Congrats to John. I think the pitch was the splitter too, though, wasn't it?
from 4 months ago
Probably was, I'll go back up there and fix it. Also, Smoltz hit 10 strikeouts for second straight game.
4 months ago
It was a splitter. That pitch almost landed in the dirt.
4 months ago
I was here in Atlanta when the Braves traded our ace at the time, Doyle Alexander, to Detroit for this kid with the heat. I really thought Bobby Cox was going senile- especially after Alexander went undefeated and helped the Tigers win their division. I also remember when Smoltz had to resort to seeing a sports psychologist so he could start contributing to that 1991 Worst-To-First season. In that 1991 campaign, he started out horrendously and then ended up pitching a gem in game 7 of the World Series. That type of resiliency in the face of adversity has marked his career.
Smoltz has been through a lot here in Atlanta: injuries, surgeries, high expectations from many band-wagoner fans, getting booed for losing games, and getting cheered for taking the closer's role when no one would step up (or when the Braves management failed to get a dominant closer). I am amazed that he has been so good for so long. He has added that split-finger pitch and a devastating slider to match that live fastball; when he strikes people out, they truly look helpless.
A dominant closer, holder of the record for most post season wins (along with 4 post season saves!), a Cy Young Award winner, and now 3,000 strikeouts. Wow. Smoltz has quietly built his legacy and I am glad that people are seeing him beyond the shadows of Maddux and Glavine. I hope they all get into the HOF together- as Braves (of course).
4 months ago
Great to see a legendary pitcher reach this milestone.
However 3000 strikeouts is only the tip of the iceberg in Smoltzy's Hall of Fame bid. He's won a Cy Young as a starter and saved 55 games as a closer. He's recorded 14 or more wins in 10 seasons, and 40 or more saves in three.
But his most impressive accomplishment—and the one that makes him a true HOFer—is his post season performance.
Simply put, Smoltzy has always been a gamer. He was the most reliable big-game pitcher on that Atlanta rotation in the early and mid 90's.
Don't believe me? Consider his career postseason numbers: 40-27, 2.65 ERA . One of the few pitchers you'll see with better career numbers in the playoffs than in the regular season!
Take note HOF voters: Smoltzy belongs in Cooperstown with Glavine and Maddux!
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