John Smoltz
| John Smoltz | |
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.jpg) John Smoltz (2007)
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| Pitcher | |
| Born: May 15, 1967 Warren , United States 
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| Strikes: Right | Throws: Right |
| Debut in Major League Baseball | |
| July 23, 1988 for the Atlanta Braves | |
| Last MLB assignment | |
| September 30, 2009 with the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| MLB statistics (until end of career) |
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| Win-loss | 213-155 |
| Earned Run Average | 3.33 |
| Strikeouts | 3,084 |
| Saves | 154 |
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| Awards | |
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| member of | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame
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| Recorded | 2015 |
| Quota | 82.9% |
| Last update: April 14, 2016 | |
John Andrew Smoltz (born May 15, 1967 in Warren , Michigan ) is a retired American baseball player . The right-handed pitcher played a total of 20 seasons in Major League Baseball and was almost exclusively active for the Atlanta Braves . In 2015, Smoltz was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame .
Career
High school and draft
John Smoltz was very successful at playing both baseball and basketball during his time at Waverly High School in Lansing , Michigan . In the 1985 MLB Draft , he was drafted as the 574th player in round 22 of the Detroit Tigers .
After first assignments with the Lakeland Tigers, the Advanced A Minor League team of the Detroit Tigers, Smoltz was transferred in 1987 to the Glens Falls Tigers, a former AA team of the organization. Pretty soon after that, in August 1987, he was transferred to the Atlanta Braves , whose franchise he would then be part of for over 20 years.
1988-1999
Smoltz made his debut in Major League Baseball on July 23, 1988 and played in his first season 12 games as a starting pitcher, in which he posted only 2 wins and a below-average ERA of 5.48 in his statistics. In the following year, however, Smoltz improved enormously and was invited to the first of a total of eight All-Star Games in 1989 . At the end of the season he was able to complete more than 50% of the games with a win in 29 starts. In the four seasons from 1990 to 1993 he kept this victory rate constant and completed more than 30 games as a starter. In 1992 and 1993, Smoltz was reappointed All Star.
The Braves also qualified three times in a row for the postseason in 1991-1993 . Smoltz's first playoff appearance was on October 12, 1991 in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series (NLCS) against the Pittsburgh Pirates . The Braves won 10-3 and Smoltz was awarded the win. He started again in game 7 of the series and won again, making the Braves qualified for the World Series for the first time in franchise history . In the 1991 World Series , Smoltz was used in game 4 and in the decisive game 7. The series was lost 3: 4 to the Minnesota Twins .
In the following year, Smoltz was again able to qualify with his team for the World Series. In 3 missions in the NLCS, he again contributed 2 wins, again against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 1992 World Series was lost again, this time with 2: 4 against the Toronto Blue Jays . Smoltz was used in Game 2 and Game 5 of the series, and in the latter was able to book his first win in a final game.
After only a shortened season without a postseason had taken place in 1994 due to the baseball strike, Smoltz reached the playoffs with the Braves again in 1995 after a regular season with 12 wins and 29 starts. Both in the National League Division Series against the Colorado Rockies , as well as in the NLCS against the Cincinnati Reds , Smoltz came to a use, but had no decisive influence on the result. The Braves qualified for the 1995 World Series , which they ultimately won 4-2 against the Cleveland Indians . John Smoltz started in Game 3 of the series, but was replaced by Brad Clontz in the third inning . At this point he had already allowed 4 opposing runs. The MVP of the final series became the starting pitcher of the Braves with Tom Glavine , who had already taken Smoltz's rank as number one in the roster in previous years.
John Smoltz had his best season objectively in the 1996 season. He posted 24 wins, which corresponds to a rate of 75%, his all-time career record for a regular season. In addition, he pitched more than 250 innings for the first time and achieved an ERA of under 3 with 2.94 since 1992. In the post season, Smoltz Weg led the Braves back into the World Series. Of his five starts in the 1996 play-offs, Smoltz went from the mound with a win in the first four games and allowed only 4 runs in 30 innings. In Game 5 of the 1996 World Series against the New York Yankees, Smoltz pitched again very well and allowed only one run in 8 innings. However, since the Braves themselves did not score, the game was lost 0: 1. The Braves lost the series 2: 4 in the end. For his outstanding achievements in the 1996 season, Smoltz was awarded the Cy Young Award for best pitcher in the National League. In addition, he finished 11th in the election for MVP of the National League, making him the best-placed pitcher in 1996.
In the 1997 to 1999 seasons, Smoltz continued to pitch at a consistently high level, was a permanent guest in the playoffs with the Braves and achieved further career records. Among other things, he pitched 256 innings in the 1997 season and in 1998 had a win-loss rate of 85%, and in 1997 he also won the Silver Slugger Award for pitchers in the National League. This interrupted the streak of his teammate Tom Glavine, who won the trophy in 1995, 1996 and 1998. The 1999 World Series against the New York Yankees was the fifth and final appearance for Smoltz in the series. The New York Yankees, however, won the series with a 4-0 sweep , so it remained for him to win a career title. John Smoltz himself was in action in the last and ultimately decisive game 4 of the series. He pitched 7 innings and allowed 3 runs, the Braves finally lost the game 1: 4.
2000–2004 injury and transfer to the Bullpenn
Before the beginning of the 2000 season, Smoltz underwent Tommy John Surgery , as a result of which he could not play the entire season. After his return in 2001 he started five times for the Braves, but showed no convincing performance and was transferred from the starting lineup to the bullpen . In the following year he was able to fully convince in his new role as relief pitcher . In 75 games he got 55 saves , was invited back to the All-Star game after a five-year break and achieved his best ranking ever with 5th place in the election for MVP of the National League.
Also in the following seasons 2003 and 2004 Smoltz was able to convince again with 45 and 44 saves respectively. He set his career best with an ERA of 1.12 in the 2003 season.
From 2002 to 2004 Smoltz reached the playoffs again with his team, but they were always eliminated in the League Division Series. As a relief, Smoltz played a total of 11 postseason games, of which the Braves won 9.
2005–2008 return to starting rotation and another operation
After three years in which Smoltz was one of the strongest closers in baseball, he was taken back to the starting rotation for the 2005 season. His first season appearance was a disaster, in 1.2 innings he allowed 6 runs against Florida. The loss was also assigned to him on the following two missions. Smoltz then stabilized and ended the regular season with a win-loss ratio of 14: 7. The Braves qualified for the playoffs and lost in the Division Series 3-1 to the Houston Astros , with Smoltz being awarded the win in the only win in the series, in Game 2.
In the 2006 season , Smoltz was able to record the third best season of his career in this statistic with 16 wins. The Braves clearly missed the play-offs and ended the season 18 games behind in third place in their division. The 2007 season should be Smoltz's last as a regular starter for the Braves, and he was appointed to the All-Star Team of the National League for the eighth and final time.
At the beginning of the 2008 MLB season , Smoltz achieved his 3,000th strikeout on April 22nd . At this point, he was only the 14th pitcher to do so and the fourth to have that mark for just one team. A good week later he was put on the disabled list due to shoulder problems . On June 2, he came back as a relief pitcher and awarded the save against Florida in his last game for the Braves. Eight days after the game, Smoltz underwent shoulder surgery that ended the season for him. At the end of the season his contract ran out and Smoltz and the Braves could not agree on an extension.
2009 change and end of career
On January 13, 2009, Smoltz signed a one-year contract with the Boston Red Sox . On June 25, he played his first of eight games in the 2009 season for the Red Sox. Disappointed with only two wins and an ERA of 8.32, the Red Sox swept him from the 40-man squad and he was "designated for assignment" (dt about. For the allocation / assignment provided ). The consequence of this expression in the MLB is that the player must either be re-accepted into the 40-man squad, dismissed, traded or transferred to the minor league within ten days. After Smoltz rejected a demotion to the minor league, he was released on August 17, 2009 by the Red Sox.
Two days after his release, Smoltz signed a contract with the St. Louis Cardinals , for which he made his debut on August 23 against San Diego and was the winning pitcher. He completed seven games for the Cardinals in the regular season and was able to compete in the play-offs at the end of his career. In his last MLB game, the third game of the NLDS against the Los Angeles Dodgers , he pitched the sixth and seventh innings and allowed a run. The Cardinals lost the game 1: 5 and thus the series.
Honors
On April 16, 2012, the Braves announced that they would no longer award Smoltz jersey number 29. The ceremony took place on June 8, 2012 before the home game against the Toronto Blue Jays .
In the 2015 election, John Smoltz was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown with 82.9% of the vote . He was up for election for the first time and was one of four players inducted into the Hall of Fame this year.
Private life
John Smoltz is married for the second time and has four children from his first marriage. He lives in Alpharetta , Georgia, USA and has a second home on Sea Island . American professional golfer Tiger Woods is one of his good friends
Web links
- Player information and statistics from MLB or ESPN or Baseball Reference or Fangraphs or The Baseball Cube or Baseball Reference (Minor League) (English)
- John Smoltz in the Hall of Fame (English)
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- ↑ 2015 Hall of Fame Voting . In: baseball-reference.com . Retrieved April 14, 2016.
- ↑ World Series 1992 - Game 4 - Minnesota Twins vs. Atlanta Braves . Retrosheet. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
- ↑ World Series 1991 - Game 7 - Atlanta Braves vs. Minnesota Twins . Retrosheet. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
- ↑ World Series 1992 - Game 2 - Toronto Blue Jays vs. Atlanta Braves . Retrosheet. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
- ↑ World Series 1992 - Game 5 - Atlanta Braves vs. Toronto Blue Jays . Retrosheet. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
- ↑ World Series 1995 - Game 5 - . Retrosheet. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
- ↑ Award voting 1996 . baseball-references.com. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
- ↑ World Series 1999 - Game 4 - Atlanta Braves vs. New York Yankees . Retrosheet. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
- ^ Award voting 2002 . baseball-references.com. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
- ↑ NLDS 2005 - Game 2 - Houston Astros vs. Atlanta Braves . Retrosheet. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
- ^ Smoltz Put on Disabled List With Sore Right Shoulder . The New York Times. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
- ^ Smoltz designated for assignment . mlb.com. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
- ↑ Red Sox release Smoltz . ESPN. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
- ↑ NLDS 2009 - Game 3 - Los Angeles Dodgers vs. St. Louis Cardinals . baseball-reference.com. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
- ↑ Braves to honor Smoltz by retiring No. 29 . MLB.com. April 16, 2012. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
- ↑ 2015 Hall of Fame Voting . In: baseball-reference.com . Retrieved April 14, 2016.
| personal data | |
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| SURNAME | Smoltz, John |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Smoltz, John Andrew |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American baseball player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 15, 1967 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Warren , Michigan |