On a staff that often had a "Mad Dog" on it, when the Atlanta Braves needed one big game, fans like me wanted more of a bulldog on the mound and often, we got just that with John Smoltz. A couple of weeks ago, Smoltz joined Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine as first ballot Hall of Fame selections, though his candidacy was not so certain as the other two were. Smoltz lacked the 300 wins, the ERA titles, and the durability of the other 66% of the Big Three.


However, he made up for that with his tenacity and penchant for pitching some of his best ball when it was needed the most. 

Famously, the Braves acquired Smoltz for Doyle Alexander in the summer of 1987. We often label this as one of the most lop-sided trades in history and that is a very assessment considering that Alexander was 36 when the Tigers surrendered Smoltz for him. Still, Alexander went 9-0 down the stretch in '87 with a 1.53 ERA, helping the Tigers to the ALCS against the Twins. The amazing run ended spectacularly there and Alexander was bashed around in a pair of loses, including the deciding Game Five where he was removed in the second after giving up four runs.

Smoltz had an electric arm, but it also led to a good deal of walks and he led the NL in wild pitches from 1990-92. That did not stop him throwing a shutout against the Pirates in the 1991 NLCS and going toe-to-toe with Jack Morris in the memorable Game Seven of the World Series, also against the Twins. He claimed an NLCS MVP in 1992 against the Pirates while leading the league in strikeouts for the first of two times.

But he was still not the guy and with the arrival of Maddux in '93, it was easy to slot Smoltz in the three spot even though he was no regular middle-of-the-rotation fixture. After a 3.18 ERA in 1995, Smoltz finally came into his own during a 35-start season with the Braves in 1996 where he went 24-8. Personally, I don't put too much value in win-loss records for pitchers because too much of it comes down to the team you play for, but when you strike out 276 batters, it definitely makes a 24-8 win-loss record look good. Smoltz took home the Cy Young that season.

In that Cy Young-award winning season, Smoltz led the league with 253.2 ING. He would throw another 256 innings the following year. Maybe that workload led to increased injuries as Smoltz missed five-to-ten starts in both 1998-99 before missing all of 2000. When he returned and immediately was injured again, the team moved Smoltzie to the pen to close 2001 before he went on a run that was unrivalled in Braves relief pitching history before Craig Kimbrel. He set the franchise record with 55 saves in 2002 and saved 154 games overall, a mark that put him on top of the Braves' leaderboard until the aforementioned Kimbrel. 

However, his true love was starting and at 38 years-old, Smoltz returned to the starting rotation in 2005 to start a trio of 200-inning seasons that included a pair of trips to the All-Star Game. Injuries ruined his 2008 season and he tried to keep his career going in 2009, but was a shell of his former self in stints with the Red Sox and Cardinals. 

Smoltz retired after that nomadic one season and has since carved out a nice post-playing career as an analyst for the Braves, TBS, and MLB Network. He was featured often during the Hall of Fame induction last year as his former teammates and manager gave their speeches. Now, its his turn. Knowing his flare for the drama, it will probably be the best one of the group.