John Andrew Smoltz (born May 15, 1967), known as "Smoltzie" and "Marmaduke," was an American baseball pitcher who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1988 to 2009. He spent almost all of his career with the Atlanta Braves. Smoltz was named to the All-Star team eight times and was part of a group of three top starting pitchers—Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine—who helped the Braves compete for the championship in the 1990s, including winning the 1995 World Series. In 1996, he won the National League (NL) Cy Young Award after recording 24 wins and 8 losses, the most victories by an NL pitcher since 1972. He also played for the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals.

Smoltz was primarily a starting pitcher, but in 2001, after recovering from Tommy John surgery, he became a relief pitcher and served as the team’s closer for four years before returning to starting. In 2002, he set a National League record with 55 saves and became the second pitcher in history (after Dennis Eckersley) to achieve both 20 wins in a season and 50 saves in a season. He is the only pitcher in MLB history to reach 200 wins and 150 saves.

Smoltz was one of the most successful pitchers in playoff history, with a record of 15 wins and 4 losses in 41 postseason games, averaging 2.67 earned runs per game. In two of his four losses, he allowed only unearned runs. He was named Most Valuable Player of the 1992 NL Championship Series, though Andy Pettitte later surpassed his record for career postseason wins. Smoltz led the NL in wins, winning percentage, strikeouts, and innings pitched twice each. His total of 3,084 strikeouts ranked fifth in NL history when he retired. He also holds the Braves franchise record for career strikeouts (3,011) and the record for most games pitched for the team since 1966. From 2004 to 2014, he held the franchise record for career saves and set a single-season record. After leaving the Braves in 2008, Smoltz split his final season between the Red Sox and Cardinals. After retiring, he worked as a color commentator and analyst for Fox Sports and MLB Network. Since 2016, he has provided commentary for major baseball events, including the All-Star Game and World Series. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015, his first year of eligibility.

Early life

John Andrew Smoltz was born on May 15, 1967, in Warren, Michigan. Smoltz was an All-State baseball player at Waverly High School in Lansing, Michigan, where he played two seasons after moving from Lansing Catholic High School. He was also an all-conference basketball player as a 6-foot-2-inch (1.88 m) guard in high school, which caught the attention of some college coaches. He chose to focus on baseball instead.

After finishing high school, Smoltz planned to play baseball at Michigan State University. However, he decided to sign a professional contract after being drafted by the Detroit Tigers and receiving a large bonus offer.

Professional career

The Detroit Tigers chose him in the 22nd round of the 1985 amateur draft. He was the 574th player selected. Smoltz first played for the Single-A Lakeland Tigers minor-league team and later joined the Double-A Glens Falls Tigers in 1987. He had records of 7–8 and 4–10 that year. In 1987, the Tigers were competing with the Toronto Blue Jays for the AL East division lead. Because they needed a pitcher, the Tigers traded their 20-year-old player, Smoltz, to the Braves for 36-year-old veteran Doyle Alexander on August 12. Alexander helped the Tigers win the division title, going 9–0 in the final games of the season. However, Alexander left baseball by 1989. Smoltz, on the other hand, became a key player for the Braves for the next two decades.

Smoltz made his major league debut on July 23, 1988. He had poor results in his first 12 starts, but in 1989, he improved. He started 29 games, had a 12–11 record, and a 2.94 ERA while pitching 208 innings. He was named to the NL All-Star team that year. His teammate, Tom Glavine, also had a strong season, which made fans hopeful about the future of the Braves’ pitching staff. Over his career, Smoltz threw a fast pitch called a four-seam fastball, which reached speeds of up to 98 miles per hour. He also used a strong slider and a split-finger fastball that he used to strike out batters. He occasionally used a curveball and change-up. In 1999, he tried using a knuckleball and a screwball, but rarely used them in games. In 2016, he admitted he did not learn to throw sliders until he reached the majors and does not recommend children try to throw sliders.

Smoltz started the 1991 season with a 2–11 record. He began working with a sports psychologist, and he finished the season with a 12–2 record, helping the Braves win the NL West. His success continued into the 1991 NL Championship Series, where he won both his starts against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He pitched a complete game shutout in the seventh game, helping the Braves reach the World Series for the first time since moving to Atlanta in 1966. In the World Series, Smoltz had a 1.26 ERA. In the seventh game, he faced Jack Morris, a former Detroit Tigers player. Both pitchers threw shutout ball for seven innings, but Smoltz was replaced during a threat by the Twins in the eighth. Atlanta’s reliever, Mike Stanton, helped the Braves win the game.

In 1992, Smoltz won 15 games and was the MVP of the NL Championship Series, winning two games. He did not get a decision in the seventh game, but the Braves won the game in the ninth inning. In the 1992 World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, Smoltz had two starts. He did not get a decision in Game 2 and won Game 5 when the Braves were facing elimination. The Braves lost the series in six games.

Before the 1993 season, the Braves signed Greg Maddux, a pitcher known for his control. This, along with Smoltz and Glavine, created what many consider the best starting trio in major league history. Smoltz won 15 games that season but lost his first postseason game to the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS, even though he did not allow an earned run.

In the strike-shortened 1994 season, Smoltz had a 6–10 record. During the break, he had bone chips removed from his elbow.

Returning as the Braves’ No. 3 starter in 1995, Smoltz had a 12–7 record. The Braves won their first World Series in Atlanta that year, but Smoltz had shaky postseason numbers. He avoided losses despite a 6.60 ERA, but his Game 3 start in the World Series was his only poor performance. He was replaced in the third inning. Smoltz would have been the Game 7 starter if the series had gone that far.

In 1996, Smoltz had a 24–8 record with a 2.94 ERA and 276 strikeouts. He won a franchise-record 14 straight decisions from April 9 to June 19. His wins and strikeouts led the majors that year. Smoltz performed well in the postseason, winning Game 1 of the Division Series, Games 1 and 5 of the League Championship Series, and Game 1 of the World Series. He had one loss in the postseason, which came after an outfield error allowed a run. The Braves lost to the New York Yankees in six games. Smoltz finished the playoffs with a 0.95 ERA and won the NL Cy Young Award with 26 of 28 first-place votes. In 1997, Smoltz’s performance was slightly less than in his Cy Young season, but he still earned a Silver Slugger Award for hitting 18 base hits, the most by any pitcher.

Smoltz continued to perform well in 1998 and 1999, but he spent time on the disabled list and missed about a quarter of his starts. In 199

Post-playing career

In 2008 and 2010, Smoltz worked as an analyst for Braves games on Peachtree TV with Joe Simpson. Nationally, he has been an analyst for MLB Network and covered regular-season and postseason games for TBS. In 2014, he joined Fox Sports as a game analyst. He worked with Matt Vasgersian in the No. 2 booth and also analyzed select Braves games for Fox Sports South and SportSouth during the 2014 season. In 2016, Smoltz became the lead analyst for Major League Baseball on Fox, replacing Harold Reynolds and Tom Verducci. He worked with Joe Buck and later Joe Davis. In 2021, Smoltz won his first Sports Emmy Award as an Event Analyst. He stopped working in the studio for MLB Network in 2021 after refusing to accept the required COVID-19 vaccine.

On April 16, 2012, the Braves announced they would retire Smoltz’s number 29. The ceremony occurred before a June 8 game against the Toronto Blue Jays and included speeches by former broadcaster Pete van Wieren, former teammate Matt Diaz, and former manager Bobby Cox.

Smoltz was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015, his first year of eligibility. He was the first starting pitcher since 1987 to be elected with fewer than 250 career wins and only one Cy Young Award. He was also the first pitcher to be elected to the Hall of Fame after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Personal life

John Smoltz met his first wife, Dyan Struble, at the Omni Hotel in downtown Atlanta. The couple had four children before divorcing in 2007 after 16 years of marriage. Smoltz lives in Alpharetta, Georgia, and also has a home at Sea Island, a golf resort. On May 16, 2009, Smoltz married Kathryn Darden at his home with 70 friends and family in attendance. Smoltz is a Christian.

Smoltz is a good friend of professional golfer Tiger Woods; the two often play golf together. Woods has stated that Smoltz is the best golfer outside of the PGA Tour that he has seen. Smoltz has stated that he once had a plus 4 handicap. In 2018, Smoltz qualified for the U.S. Senior Open, one of senior golf’s major championships. He is also involved in the sport of bowling.

Smoltz plays every year in the American Century Championship at Lake Tahoe. He won the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions in Orlando in January 2019.

Smoltz counts Doc Rivers as a personal friend dating back to Rivers’ playing days in Atlanta. In the January 12, 2008, edition of the Boston Globe, Rivers is quoted as saying, “I offered him my apartment… I just told him about Terry (Francona) and the Red Sox organization. I told him it’s a no-brainer.”

Smoltz is also an accomplished accordionist and has starred in a television commercial for The Home Depot.

Smoltz is a distant cousin of fellow Baseball Hall of Famer Charlie Gehringer.

Smoltz produced an automated campaign phone recording on behalf of the candidacy of Ralph E. Reed, Jr. for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia during the 2006 primary.

In a 2004 interview, Smoltz was quoted as comparing the legalization of gay marriage with bestiality, saying, “What’s next? Marrying an animal?” per the Associated Press. Smoltz later stated the article had portrayed his quote inaccurately.

It was speculated that Smoltz might run for Congress in 2010 as a Republican candidate to fill the departing John Linder’s seat in Georgia’s 7th congressional district.

On April 22, 2012, Smoltz hosted a fundraiser for Andrea Cascarilla, a Democratic candidate for State Representative in Michigan’s 71st House District. The 71st District encompasses Waverly Senior High School, where Smoltz was an All-State baseball and basketball player.

Smoltz and his good friend Jeff Foxworthy hosted the charity event “An Evening With Smoltz and Friends” on November 9, 2008, at the Verizon Amphitheater in Alpharetta to raise money for the John Smoltz Foundation, which has supported numerous charitable endeavors in the Atlanta area over the past decade.

Smoltz is the Atlanta host for Big League Impact, an eight-city fantasy football network created and led by longtime Cardinals pitcher and former teammate Adam Wainwright. In 2015, the organization raised more than $1 million for various charitable organizations.

Smoltz and fellow former Atlanta Braves first baseman Ryan Klesko were named in a tax dispute involving conservation easement for a 1,546-acre non-cash donation the two made on behalf of a partnership the two

Accomplishments

• Elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame with 82.88% of the vote in January 2015
• Selected as an All-Star eight times in the following years: 1989, 1992–1993, 1996, 2002–2003, 2005, and 2007
• Won the National League Championship Series MVP award in 1992
• Led the National League in strikeouts in 1992 with 215 strikeouts
• Won the National League Cy Young Award in 1996
• Set the Atlanta Braves record for most wins in a season in 1996 with 24 wins
• Led the National League in wins in 1996 with 24 wins
• Earned 29 wins in 1996, the highest total in the last 70 years, with only Denny McLain having 32 wins in 1968
• Led major leagues in strikeouts in 1996 with 276 strikeouts
• Led the National League in winning percentage in 1996
• Won the Silver Slugger Award for pitcher in 1997
• Finished 4th in National League Cy Young Award voting in 1998
• Led major leagues in winning percentage in 1998
• Won the National League Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award in 2002
• Finished 8th in National League MVP voting in 2002
• Finished 3rd in National League Cy Young Award voting in 2002
• Ranked second in Braves history for career saves with 154 saves
• Set the Braves record for most saves in a season in 2002 with 55 saves
• Led the National League in saves in 2002 with 55 saves
• Tied for the National League lead in wins in 2006 with 16 wins
• The only pitcher to reach 200 wins and 150 saves in his career
• Holds the Braves record for most strikeouts in a career with 3,011 strikeouts
• Received the Branch Rickey Award for exceptional community service in 2007
• Became the first pitcher in the modern era (since 1900) to pitch exactly five shutout innings, strike out ten batters, and earn the win on April 17, 2008, during the Braves' 8–0 victory over Florida
• Reached 3,000 strikeouts in major league history on April 22, 2008
• Holds the Cardinals record for most consecutive strikeouts (7) in a single game on August 23, 2009
• The only major league pitcher with more than one postseason stolen base (3 total)
• Received the Roberto Clemente Award in 2005