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5-24-2007
Superb Smoltz Stops Mets For 200th Win
ATLANTA -- There are countless reasons John Smoltz wishes that he could
have spent his entire career in Atlanta with Greg Maddux and Tom
Glavine. From a selfish perspective, he believes their prolonged
presence would have made him even better than he is today.
Of
course, those who have watched him display nothing but dominance
against two of the Major League's top offenses over the past five days
might argue that Smoltz would have a tough time being any greater than
he's been since he turned 40.
What started out as another mission to better one of his best friends
turned into one of the most memorable nights of Smoltz's life. His
ability to once again outduel Glavine and lead the Braves to a
momentum-building 2-1 win over the Mets at Turner Field on Thursday
night produced an emotionally-charged postgame ovation that he'll never
forget.
The majority of the 36,660 fans who had come out to see two Atlanta
legends battle each other were pleased to see the Braves claim another
series victory, which moved them to within 1 1/2 games of the Mets in
the National League East standings. But the heartfelt and impressive
display of gratitude they showed was aimed toward Smoltz, who had just
captured the 200th win of his career.
"It's pretty neat," said Smoltz, who surrendered seven hits in seven
scoreless innings. "It's just a number. But it's a nice number and I
think everybody contributed in an incredible way."
On this night, the offensive contributions came from Jeff Francoeur,
who had a first-inning sacrifice fly, and Matt Diaz, who began the
second inning with an opposite-field homer.
Then,
to wrap things up after the Mets had put runners on second and third
with just one out, was the dependable Bob Wickman, who allowed the home
crowd to roar after getting Jose Reyes to end things with a harmless
infield pop fly.
But dating back to 1988, when they first
joined each other in Atlanta's rotation, it's been Glavine who has
contributed in terms of the fact that he seemingly always brings out
the best in Smoltz. When they were teammates, they were determined to
better the other's performance and that same determination has been
evident each of the four times they've opposed each other.
"There's something special about knowing that the other guy is going to
battle harder than you or just as hard," said Smoltz, who has seen the
Braves win each of the four career games, including three this year,
that he's been pitted against Glavine.
Glavine, who allowed two earned runs on five hits in six innings, was
obviously happy for his friend. But after seeing his team lose for the
sixth time in nine games against the Braves this year, he wasn't
exactly ready to celebrate Smoltz's milestone victory.
"I know how important to him it is and under normal circumstances, I'd
be thrilled for him," said Glavine, who recorded 242 wins and notched
two Cy Young Awards in Atlanta from 1987-2002. "But on a day like this,
if you get what you want, your buddy ends up [taking] a loss."
When Kelly Johnson botched Shawn Green's potential double-play grounder
in the ninth inning, it looked like Smoltz might have to wait for his
milestone. But Wickman responded by allowing just one unearned run
while retiring the next three batters. When shortstop Edgar Renteria
secured Reyes' pop fly, Smoltz unexpectedly came out of the dugout to
hug many of his teammates and enjoy the wave of emotions provided by
the fans.
"I don't come out for many different things," Smoltz said. "But I
wanted to come out and show my appreciation for what the [crowd] had
done. They elevated the game today for us and for me. My fastball was
the best I've had in a long time. The feeling in the stands was pretty
neat."
Smoltz, who becomes the first pitcher to record both 200 wins and 150
saves in a career, has simply registered 14 consecutive scoreless
innings against the Red Sox and Mets. All of this has come since he
dislocated his right thumb on May 14, the day before his 40th birthday.
But Smoltz's success doesn't come as any surprise to Braves manager
Bobby Cox, who has seen his ace show great heart throughout his 20
Major League seasons. Whether it was while battling back from one of
his four elbow surgeries or while notching one of his all-time record
15 postseason wins, the veteran hurler has always shown an ability to
defy odds and rise to the biggest of occasions.
"He's one of those guys that's highly competitive," Cox said. "He's a
manager's dream to have on your team. ... He's been a delight to have."
Of course, given the opportunity, Cox would have been delighted to have
been able to also keep Glavine around forever. Since ending his days in
Atlanta, Glavine has made 18 starts against the Braves, going 3-11 with
a 5.34 ERA. But in his past nine starts against them, he's 2-3 with a
very respectable 2.25 ERA.
Glavine's turnaround against his former employer came on July 15, 2005,
the night that he and Smoltz first opposed each other. In their four
matchups, Glavine actually has a better ERA (2.56) than the current
Braves hurler (3.16).
But Smoltz is the one who has seen his team notch four victories, and
somewhere down the line, Glavine knows that he's going to hear about
this on some golf course.
"I can't say who I beat for my 200th [win]," Glavine said. "But I'm sure John will remember who he beat for his 200th."
The Braves will say that the night's most important development was
winning a third consecutive series against the Mets. But down the road,
the night will primarily be remembered because of the fact that Smoltz
reached his milestone while going against one of those close friends
who has always been able to bring out the best in him.
"This one, the script couldn't have been written any better," Chipper Jones said.
-Mark
Bowman
