John Smoltz Joining St. Louis Cardinals Gives New Meaning to "Senior Circuit"

Welcome back, John Smoltz.

The St. Louis Cardinals have rescued Smoltz from his personal abyss that was the American League.  Smoltz joins the NL Central division leaders with a chance to become the Cards’ fifth starter or contribute as a reliever.

Last offseason, after grappling with the Atlanta Braves over contract provisions, Smoltz decided to take his services to the American League, where the Boston Red Sox offered patience and a spot in the rotation.

But Smoltz, a future Hall of Famer with eight All-Star selections, a Cy Young Award, and the all-time leader in postseason wins, was in for a very rude awakening.

He allowed five earned runs in five innings in his first start as an AL pitcher.

The Red Sox handled Smoltz’s situation as cleverly as possible.

He was coming off a 2008 season-ending shoulder surgery and the Red Sox waited until June 25 to give the 42-year-old right-hander his first start.

The Red Sox made sure his first game as an AL pitcher was in an NL park against baseball’s worst team, the Washington Nationals.  But despite familiar surroundings and the absence of an opposing designated hitter, Smoltz and the Red Sox lost 9-3.

In less than two months, Smoltz amassed the worst pitching stats of his career in eight starts.  Smoltz allowed eight home runs in 40 innings and left the junior circuit with an 8.32 ERA.

Boston ultimately released him after he surrendered eight runs in 3.1 innings in a 13-6 loss against the team’s biggest rivals, the New York Yankees, on Aug. 6.

His 2-5 record featured wins against AL non-contenders Baltimore and Kansas City.  Smoltz allowed five runs in six innings in the victory versus the Royals.

The one-year deal for $5.5 million seemed low-risk, high-reward for Boston, but even Theo Epstein, one of the best general managers in baseball, knows when a move has backfired.

What happened to Smoltz?  He went to the AL instead of going to an NL contender.

It’s no secret that great hitters can prolong their careers in the AL as designated hitters, and pitchers can prolong theirs in the NL against weaker lineups featuring pitchers as batters.

AL sluggers like David Ortiz, Jason Giambi, and Frank Thomas don’t even have to man first base, the easiest defensive position on the diamond.  They can play DH and concentrate on hitting, a role which Ortiz absolutely thrived in for years with the Red Sox.

It’s just as simple in the NL.  Pitchers like Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and Jamie Moyer have experienced success by lengthening their careers in the senior circuit, which offers the comforts of facing pitchers with men on base and all-around weaker lineups compared to some of the most brutal lineups in baseball over in the junior league.

Martinez and Johan Santana won Cy Youngs in the AL before finding riches with the NL’s New York Mets.  This offseason, Francisco Rodriguez, the best closer in baseball, decided to become a Met, too.

Moyer, 46, won his first championship last season with the Philadelphia Phillies after 22 MLB seasons, including 15 in the American League.  Johnson pitched with Moyer in Seattle and also won his first and only World Series title in the NL, with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001.

Johnson, Maddux, and Glavine each won their 300th game in the NL. In 2005, at the age of 43, Roger Clemens finished 13-8 with a 1.87 ERA, the lowest in the majors and the best mark of his career.

Maddux pitched until he was 42 and Glavine, 43, was still looking to pitch earlier this year. Johnson is 45 and in addition to winning his 300th game with the San Francisco Giants earlier this season, he's also produced a respectable 8-6 record on the year.

Martinez, 37, finally found a home with the Phillies, and last night Pedro pitched the first three innings before a rain delay halted play.  Moyer pitched six innings in relief, helping the team to a 5-1 victory and improving his record to 11-9.

Smoltz, a pitcher who had spent his entire career pitching for the Braves, could have stayed in the National League.  He would have faced a few familiar hitters and may have had the upper hand in those matchups.

In the battle of unknown entities, AL batters rocked Smoltz.

Now he’s on his way back to familiar turf with the NL’s Cardinals, a playoff contender that features the major’s best hitter, Albert Pujols, and the current major league leader in wins, Adam Wainwright.

The Cardinals have nine games remaining against NL East teams, including three against the Braves.  With his postseason prowess, Smoltz could redeem himself and play a big part in a championship run in St. Louis.