Smoltz, who had a 21-year career in the MLB from 1988 to 2009, noted that he is currently the only player in the Hall who underwent Tommy John surgery -- a procedure that cost him the 2000 season. After he was elected to the HOF, he said, "I'm honored, I'm humbled, and when the phone call came, I was -- for the first time ever -- speechless.". • ERA: 3.33 • NLCS MVP (1992) His 24 wins also led the National League, and he was selected to his fourth all-star game. He was always approachable, always quotable, always honest. Smoltz has been featured on Fox, where he has covered games and served as an analyst. I wrote his name a lot over the next 21 years. The Hall of Fame pitcher – winner of back-to-back celebrity division titles at the LPGA’s Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions – didn’t think it would ever happen. "To be honest,'' Smoltz … Smoltz has also been an analyst for MLB Network and has called regular-season and postseason games for TBS. Derek Lilliquist. People said I couldn't make the transition back to starting. Smoltz was one of the best starting pitchers in the league during his career. He struggled in his first season, finishing with an overall record of 2-7 with a 5.48 ERA. 29 on June 8, 2012. In six months, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz and Craig Biggio will be inducted as the 2015 class on July 26 in Cooperstown, N.Y. He hasn't changed at all... pic.twitter.com/BQ1bLWY4bV, Braves legend Sid Bream on John Smoltz going into the @BaseballHall! John Smoltz on Sunday will become the fourth Michigan-born player to be enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. • CAREER WAR: 66.5 pic.twitter.com/x17EqdkHza, John Smoltz was drafted 574th, the latest selection ever for a @BaseballHall member. Why not believe in yourself? “For the rest of my life I will try to get as much of that information embedded in my head,” Smoltz said. (Voted by BBWAA on 455/549 ballots) View John Smoltz's Page at the Baseball Hall of Fame (plaque, photos, videos). Smoltz's best Game Score was a 93, not in his Game 7 performances against the Pirates in the 1991 NLCS or the 1991 World Series against the Twins. Smoltz tossed 7⅓ scoreless innings for the Braves, while his elder pitched a 10-inning shutout in a game that finished 1-0. The first time I wrote the name John Smoltz was in Sports Illustrated's 1988 spring training preview, for the NL West scouting report in which I picked the Braves to finish last. Johnson, at 6-10 the tallest player elected to the Hall of Fame, gave special thanks to his parents. John Smoltz played 20 seasons for the Atlanta Braves. Smoltz pitched seven shutout innings in a 2-1 win against the Mets to record the 200th win of his career, making him the only pitcher in MLB history with 200 wins and 150 saves. He finished 2-for-3 in a 9-5 win for the Braves. But it did, and Smoltz told the story on Wednesday afternoon during an interview on … Then it was on to Smoltz sharing his thoughts with the media on his two-hour excursion through the game’s long history. Smoltz’s last time playing in Atlanta was in 2008. MLB Rank Nos. And at the end of the year, 55 saves kind of answered a lot of those questions. Smoltz continued to stay around the game of baseball after he finished playing. My legacy will be however someone wants to view it, Smoltz said as his playing career was coming to an end. But also the "Who?" Smoltz would finish with 55 saves, a mark equaled the following season by Eric Gagne of the Dodgers. "Hall of Fame Induction Speech" Track Info Release Date July 26, 2015 Sept. 27, 2002 While he thanked his own doctors for the impact it had on continuing his own career, he added their skills have also led the operation to "be almost a false-read, like a band-aid you put on your arm." He missed the entire 2000 season due to an injury but was able to battle through the injury and return to the mound. His mother Carol was watching from the front row. Ten days later, Smoltz, then 24, battled Minnesota's Jack Morris -- the young gun versus the grizzled veteran -- in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series. John Smoltz - Hall of Fame Election Interview 02:34. • Smoltz became a closer full-time in 2002-04; during that stretch, his 144 saves ranked second in baseball behind only Eric Gagne's 152. The voters like their narratives and Smoltz’s time as an ace reliever differentiates him from pitchers with similar qualifications. • POSITION: Right-handed pitcher He led the National League in wins during the 2006 season with 16, and he also led the National League with 35 starts. This is really something to celebrate." -- In January, at his Hall of Fame news conference, "The Hall of Fame is a pretty incredible place filled with some elite people, and it's hard to feel like you're part of that. • CAREER WAR: 66.5 The full text of John Smoltz’s National Baseball Hall of Fame induction speech, as delivered on July 26th, 2015. 3. • Roberto Clemente Award winner (2005) He is a good man with a great heart." Smoltz belongs in the Hall of Fame in my book but my opinion doesn't matter. John Smoltz and the Hall of Fame. Over the next few seasons, Smoltz continued to pitch at a high-level as a top guy in the Braves’ starting rotation. John Smoltz poses with his plaque during the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at National Baseball Hall of Fame on July 26, 2015 in Cooperstown, New York. 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May 24, 2007 Smoltz is the first Hall of Fame inductee to enter after having Tommy John surgery on his pitching arm. Of the three big-name pitchers added to the this year's Hall of Fame ballot—Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz—the first two are no-doubt first-ballot entries. He could have retired after serious shoulder surgery last June, but Smoltz is not ready to leave the game. In 2008 and 2010, he served as a color analyst with Joe Simpson covering Braves games for Peachtree TV. The losing pitcher that night: Tom Glavine. • TEAMS: Atlanta Braves (1988-1999, 2001-2008), Boston Red Sox (2009), St. Louis Cardinals (2009) Smoltz's next winning moment will come July 26 in Cooperstown, N.Y., when he is inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. John Smoltz received 87.92% of the vote his first time on the ballot in 2015 (75% of the vote is needed to be elected to the baseball Hall of Fame by the writers). One of the most athletic pitchers ever, he won 213 games -- 207 more than Searcy -- and saved another 154 after selflessly agreeing to become the Braves' closer. John Smoltz will be inducted into Baseball's Hall of Fame at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, July 26, 2015, in Cooperstown, N.Y. Return to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution for complete coverage of the day's events. • Silver Slugger Award (1997) Dennis Eckersley cruised right into the Hall of Fame, too. 1 player in baseball entering 2021? • The only pitcher in baseball history with at least 200 wins and 100 saves. The Mets had a bit of a rough lineup that night, with Lenny Harris hitting fifth and Jorge Fabregas hitting sixth, and Larry Vanover (to my recollection) had a very wide plate -- six of the strikeouts were looking -- but this 3-0 win was dominance at its finest. Then, in his next at-bat, he singled. When John Smoltz went before the Hall-of-Fame voters in his first bid for Cooperstown glory, he had no share of detractors. He played 22 seasons in the MLB. This is where he challenged me the most. He was a part of some outstanding pitching rotations that included himself, Tom Glavine and Greg Maddox. He is also a tremendous person, and I believe his strong passion to be great in that area rivals his passion to be a great pitcher." People said we had too many rookies again. Smoltz began his MLB career in 1988 with the Atlanta Braves. Not Game 5 of the 1996 World Series against the Yankees. --Mark Simon. Get … • ERA: 3.33 As Smoltz officially became the latest draftee (22nd round by the Tigers in 1985) and first Tommy John surgery recipient to enter the Hall of Fame, he reminisced about how he fulfilled the dream that developed when, at 7 years old, he dashed his accordion-playing parents' hope that "he would become the next Lawrence Welk." MLB Rank Top 25: Who is the No. Down 3-0 early in the game, Smoltz smacked a three-run home run -- the fifth and final homer of his career -- off Dave Eiland to tie the game. John Smoltz went on to have a successful MLB career as a pitcher. -- Former Braves teammate Matt Diaz, "I say this about John; he is the most gifted athlete I have ever shared a uniform with. Tribute pages: Craig Biggio | Randy Johnson | Pedro Martinez | John Smoltz. I want to encourage the families and parents that are out there to understand that this is not normal to have a surgery at 14 and 15 years old, that you have time, that baseball's not a year‑round sport, that you have an opportunity to be athletic and play other sports. Smoltz spent the majority of his career playing for the Braves and was a fan favorite. • 15-4, 2.67 ERA in 41 career postseason games I've been to a few hundred Mets games, and this was definitely the best-pitched one I've seen in person. Oct. 5, 1991 ... Those are true, but I hope in all the celebration of his accolades on the field, we don't lose track of John Smoltz off the field. And I struggled that whole month due to a thumb injury. He finished the 1996 season with a 24-8 record and won the National League Cy Young award. • Smoltz's 55 saves in 2002 is tied for the third most by a pitcher in a single season (with Eric Gagne in 2003). When Smoltz was on the mound, his team knew they had a good chance of winning the game. The next season Smoltz had one of the best seasons of his career. How do you go from the agate type under Transactions in the newspaper sports section to raised bronze lettering on your Hall of Fame plaque in Cooperstown? JAWS and the 2015 Hall of Fame ballot: John Smoltz Will John Smoltz join fellow former Braves Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux in Cooperstown on his first Hall of Fame … I think the biggest thing is that when I walk in this room I may not have the most eye-popping stats, but I have one of the most unique careers." Meanwhile, Schilling’s percentages have wavered since his first time on the ballot in 2013: 38.2%, 29.2%, 39.2%, 52.3%, 45%, 51.2%, 60.9% and 70% last year. -- Smoltz in his 2012 book "Starting and Closing: Perseverance, Faith, and One More Year". Nobody has a better answer to that question than John Smoltz. It's the one season elsewhere that cost him the opportunity to enter the Hall of Fame with … Nitkowski, "I think it's pretty clear that my career wasn't all about natural talent; I wasn't sprinkled with any magic dust. One of my favorite John Smoltz quotes...he never let failure keep him down! In 2002 he won the National League Rolaids Relief Man award and led the National League in saves that season with 55. When Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame this summer in Cooperstown, New York, he only had 12 minutes to express a lifetime of appreciation. Smoltz went the distance to beat the Astros 5-2 as the Braves coined the NL West title on the penultimate day of the season, the first of many big postseason performances. the Braves got from their fans when they traded away Doyle Alexander. In honor of John Smoltz's induction, you might want to take a closer look at tomorrow's Transactions. --During his tour of Cooperstown four weeks after being elected to the Hall, "This is for everyone who doubted us. • NL Rolaids Relief Man of the Year (2002) --Smoltz in 1998. The next season, Smoltz improved tremendously. Smoltz … • RECORD: 213-155 During that three-season stretch, Smoltz had 23 more saves than Mariano Rivera. Sept. 6, 1998 MLB Rank Nos. Oct. 27, 1991 John Smoltz has 210 wins and 154 saves in his glorious career. --Former teammate C.J. MORE: John Smoltz: Six greatest moments in his Hall of Fame career | Smoltz photos through the years Yes, one pitch. I gave up eight runs in two-thirds of an inning, I believe against the Mets, and I got booed. • HALL OF FAME VOTE: 82.9% (first ballot). So the pitcher’s agent Lonnie Cooper threw Smoltz a private party held this summer at the marketing and branding firm’s CSE’s Atlanta headquarters for close family and friends. (My father could top me: He was at Jim Bunning's perfect game.) How do you go from the agate type under Transactions in the newspaper sports section to raised bronze lettering on your Hall of Fame plaque in Cooperstown? 29 jersey retired by the Braves. • SEASONS: 21 50-26: Which aces cracked the top half of our list? Even after his playing career finished, he continues to be a prominent person in baseball. But we proved everybody wrong. Also the only HoF'er to have had Tommy John op.#Braves, Congrats to John Smoltz, class of 2015. I dont even know if I have a word for it. Smoltz struck out 13, walked none and pitched a three-hitter that (at least according to my memory) could easily have been a perfect game. It is a huge army that got John Smoltz from Lansing, Michigan, to where I am today." Dream becomes reality To the top. In his first season at 21-years-old, he pitched in 12 games and started every single one. Smoltz struck out the Nationals' Felipe Lopez in the third inning to record his 3,000th career strikeout, becoming the 16th pitcher to reach the milestone. His performance on the mound led him to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015. What most people don't understand is that I failed miserably in the beginning [as full-time closer], and in failing miserably it motivated me, much like the rest of my career, to rally. Settling the biggest MLB Rank debates. 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