John Smoltz elected to Hall of Fame on first ballot

Just one year ago, it was announced that the Atlanta Braves would send both Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine to the Baseball Hall of Fame with first-ballot inductions. Now, their longtime teammate and partner-in-crime will join them, as it was announced that John Smoltz has been inducted, with an impressive 82.9% of the vote, in his first year of eligibility.

The now 47-year-old Smoltz is best known for his playoff dominance as a member of the Braves, but his versatile abilities are nearly unmatched in baseball history. The powerful right-hander compiled 154 saves in a closer role, despite only three-plus seasons as a full-time relief pitcher, and in addition, Smoltz finished his career with a 213-155 overall record and an extremely solid 3.33 ERA.

While both Maddux and Glavine were control-based pitchers, John Smoltz had a powerful arsenal that made him uniquely capable of generating strikeouts. In his 21-year Major League career, Smoltz accumulated more than 3,000 strikeouts (3,084) including his 1996 campaign, in which Smoltz took home the Cy Young Award on the strength of a 24-8 record and 276 strikeouts in 253.2 innings.

Outside of Braves Country, it is entirely possible that John Smoltz will be best remembered for a “losing” performance. As a 24-year-old, Smoltz threw 7.1 innings of shutout ball in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series, only to be out-dueled by a legendary, 10-inning shutout performance from Jack Morris that led the Minnesota Twins over the Braves in their first appearance in the Fall Classic. Regardless of result, Smoltz was the most effective pitcher of the legendary Atlanta trio in the postseason, putting together a career 2.67 ERA over 209 playoff innings.

John Smoltz will, undoubtedly, enter the Hall of Fame as a signature member of the Atlanta Braves franchise, and regardless of your age, there is something to hold on to as your personal legacy of his career with the club. There was never a more dominant closer, his big-game reputation as a starter lives on, and with that, Cooperstown has another deserving member who will be wearing an Atlanta Braves cap.