TOM GLAVINE

'Thomas Michael Glavine' (born March 25 1966 in Concord, Massachusetts) is an American left-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball for the New York Mets. During the 1990s, Glavine was one of the winningest pitchers in the National League. He is a five-time 20-game winner and two-time Cy Young Award winner, and one of only 23 pitchers (and just 5 lefthanders) in major league history to earn 300 career wins. He is also known as an excellent fielding and hitting pitcher.

Contents

High school years

Post-high school

Atlanta Braves

New York Mets

Pitching style

Player's union representative

See also

Accomplishments

Note

External links

High school years

Raised in Billerica, Massachusetts, Glavine attended Billerica Memorial High School, where he was an excellent student and a letterman in ice hockey as well as baseball. He was a four-year member of the honor roll and the National Honor Society. In hockey, as a senior, he was named the Merrimack Valley's Most Valuable Player. In baseball, he led his team to the Division I North Title and the Eastern Massachusetts Championship as a senior. Glavine graduated from high school in 1984 with honors. He was elected to the BMHS Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993.

Post-high school

Glavine was drafted by both the Los Angeles Kings in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft (in the 4th round, 69th overall—five rounds ahead of future National Hockey League stars Brett Hull and Luc Robitaille), and the Atlanta Braves Major League Baseball organization in the 2nd round of the 1984 amateur baseball draft. Glavine elected to play baseball and made his major league debut on August 17, 1987.

Atlanta Braves

Glavine got his first career win against the Pittsburgh Pirates, hitting Barry Bonds in the back (years later, Bonds hit his 756th career home run the same week Glavine got his 300th career win). Glavine enjoyed good times and bad times during his first several years in the majors, compiling a 33-43 record from 1987 to 1990, including a 17-loss performance in 1988.
His fortunes turned around in 1991, when he won 20 games and posted a 2.55 earned run average. It was his first of three consecutive seasons with 20 or more wins, and saw him earn his first National League Cy Young Award. Glavine was the ace on the 1991 Braves' starting rotation that also included Steve Avery, Charlie Leibrandt, and another future NL Cy Young Award winner, John Smoltz. His season helped ensure a dramatic reversal in the Braves' competitive fortunes as they won the National League pennant and earned a trip to the World Series, though they lost to the Minnesota Twins in seven games. In an era of the diminishing 20-game winner (there were none in the majors in 2006), Glavine became the last major league pitcher – and the only pitcher active in 2007 – to win 20 games in three consecutive years (1991-1993).
Atlanta, long thought of as a perennial cellar dweller, was lifted in the 1990s into one of the most successful franchises in the game on the strength of its stellar pitching staff and solid hitting. After the Braves acquired Greg Maddux from the Chicago Cubs in 1993, Glavine, Maddux, and Smoltz formed the best pitching rotation of the decade. Among them, they won seven Cy Young Awards during the period of 1991 to 1998. Glavine won his second Cy Young Award in 1998, going 20-6 with a 2.47 ERA. Years later, after Glavine joined the Mets and Maddux played for the San Diego Padres, the three (along with Smoltz who still pitched for Atlanta) all recorded wins on the same day, June 27, 2007.
The Braves defeated the Cleveland Indians in 6 games in the 1995 World Series, and Glavine was named the Series MVP. He won two games during that series: Game 2 and Game 6. In Game 6, he pitched eight innings of one-hit shutout baseball; in fact, the only run in that game was a solo 6th-inning home run by David Justice of the Braves.
In addition to the championship won with the Braves in 1995, he also went to four other World Series with the team (in 1991, 1992, 1996 and 1999).

New York Mets

In 2003, much to the chagrin of many Braves fans, Glavine left Atlanta to play for the rival New York Mets, signing a four-year, $42.5 million deal. Glavine's performance had slumped in the second half of 2002 and he was ineffective in his two postseason starts, so Atlanta refused to guarantee a third year on his contract.
Glavine's first year as a Met was poor. For the first time since 1988, he failed to win 10 games, also posting his first losing record in that span, a dismal 9-14. Glavine did get to enjoy a personal highlight at the end of the season however, when the Mets called up his brother Mike to join the team.
Glavine began 2004 well, highlighted by a May 23 one-hit shutout of the Colorado Rockies and selection to the National League All-Star team. However, he struggled again during a second half marred by losing front teeth in a car accident while riding in a taxicab. He went on to post a slightly better record, though still a losing one, going 11-14.
He started off 2005 slowly, but rebounded after advice from pitching coach Rick Peterson, who encouraged Glavine to begin pitching inside more often (including a change up in) and incorporate a curveball in his repertoire. Glavine's turnaround helped him earn National League Pitcher of the Month in September. He finished the season with a 13-13 record and a respectable 3.53 ERA.
The Mets' faith in Glavine was rewarded when he returned to his old form during the 2006 season. He finished one victory shy of the NL lead in wins and was selected to the All-Star team. That season Tom Glavine became the first Mets lefthander in nearly 30 years to start at least thirty games in four consecutive seasons. Glavine and the Mets got a scare in August of 2006. His pitching shoulder was tested for a blood clot due to the fact that he was suffering from coldness in his left ring finger. This was originally thought to be a symptom of Raynaud's syndrome, which had been diagnosed in 1990. According to the pitcher, "Doctors... picked something up when they did the ultrasound." The results of that new test showed the problem could be treated with medicine, and Glavine resumed pitching on September 1, against the Houston Astros.
Glavine finished the 2006 season with a fine 15-7 record and a 3.82 ERA as the Mets won the National League Eastern Division, allowing him to make his first playoff appearance since leaving the Braves. He started Game 2 of the Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, pitching six shutout innings and surrendering only four hits to pick up the win, as the Mets went on to sweep the series from the Dodgers. He then started Game 1 of the National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, pitching seven shutout innings to pick up the win, helped by Carlos Beltran's two run home run. Glavine's postseason scoreless innings streak ended in his next start. He suffered the loss in Game 5 while the Mets went on to drop the series to the Cardinals in seven games.
Glavine re-signed with the Mets for the 2007 season needing only 10 wins to reach 300 wins for his career. He started his fourth Opening Day game as a Met in the 2007 season.
On August 5, 2007, Glavine won his 300th game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The game was played on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball played at 7:05 p.m. Tickets were being sold for this game for upwards of 200 dollars per ticket. In this game, he also was 1 for 2 with a run batted in and a walk. He pitched 6 1/3 innings and won 8-3, bringing his lifetime record to 300-197. Glavine is the 23rd pitcher to win 300 games, and the fifth left handed pitcher to do so, joining Eddie Plank, Lefty Grove, Warren Spahn and Steve Carlton. On August 17, 2007, Glavine won his 301st game in Washington, winning 6-2, and yielding 1 run in 7 innings. He moved into 21st place on the all-time win list (ahead of Lefty Grove and Early Wynn), and moved into 4th place among left handed pitchers, ahead of Grove. A week later at Shea Stadium, Tom and some special guests including his wife his kids and his parents joined an onfield ceremony. Tom and his wife were given two jet skis, a car, and 300 golf balls attatched to a sign. Tom may be the last person to win 300 games. Randy Johnson, at 284 wins, is the only active pitcher within 50 wins of the mark; however, Johnson is facing a career threatening back injury and is out for the remainder of the 2007 season.

Pitching style

Glavine, a left-hander, has gradually lost velocity over the course of his career. He continues to be an effective starting pitcher in the National League by using his excellent control and deception, switching speeds, and locating pitches off the outside corner of the strike zone. His most common approach is to begin by locating his circle changeup off the outside corner, then follow with alternating fastballs and change ups to confuse the hitter. While batters frequently make contact with his pitches, the substantial movement he places on them makes drives very soft, resulting in easily fielded ground balls and infield fly outs. Glavine's consistency is also highlighted by his durability; since his first full year in 1988, he has started at least 25 games every year. In addition to his excellent change up and well-controlled fastball, Glavine has a plus-curve ball, a slider, and a tailing two-seam fastball. Despite being a left-handed pitcher, Glavine is often more effective against right-handed batters. Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully noted that this attribute is likely due to Glavine pitching from the extreme right edge of the pitching rubber.
Like longtime Atlanta teammate Greg Maddux, Glavine has been one of the better-hitting pitchers of his generation. He has a career .188 batting average - decent for a modern pitcher - and has hit over .200 in eight seasons, with a career best of .289 in 1996. He has a good eye, drawing a high number of walks, which combined with his hits have given him a career on base percentage of .246. Because Glavine gets on base almost a quarter of the time he bats, opposing pitchers have never been able to treat him as an automatic out in the lineup. In 2004, Glavine walked as often as he struck out (10 times each), another remarkable feat for a pitcher. Glavine is also an excellent bunter. His 201 sacrifice bunts prior to 2007 ranks second among active players to Omar Vizquel. Glavine has four Silver Slugger Awards, ranking him second all-time for pitchers behind Mike Hampton.

Player's union representative

Starting in 1991, Tom Glavine served as the Atlanta Braves team representative to the Major League Baseball Players Association, succeeding former NL Most Valuable Player and Braves icon Dale Murphy in the position. Prior to and during the 1994 Major League Baseball strike, Tom Glavine was heavily involved in negotiations between the union and team owners and was frequently interviewed and quoted in the press about the talks. Ultimately, the strike caused the cancellation of the 1994 World Series and lasted 7 1/2 months. When play resumed in 1995, Glavine was frequently booed by Braves fans for his role in the player's union and was criticized for it in the local Atlanta press. Glavine, now with the Mets, currently serves as the National League player's representative [1].

See also

★ List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins

★ List of Major League Baseball wins champions

★ Top 100 strikeout pitchers of all time

★ Major League Baseball titles leaders

Accomplishments

★ 23rd player to win 300 career games

★ 10-time All-Star (1991-93, 1996-98, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006)

★ 2-time National League Cy Young Award winner (1991, 1998)

★ Finished 2nd in National League Cy Young award voting (1992, 2000)

★ Finished 3rd in National League Cy Young award voting (1993, 1995)

★ Finished 10th in National League MVP voting (1992)

★ Finished 11th in National League MVP voting (1991)

★ Finished 14th in National League MVP voting (2000)

★ Finished 21st in National League MVP voting (1998)

★ Finished 24th in National League MVP voting (1993)

★ World Series MVP Award (1995)

★ 5-time National League leader in wins (1991-93, 1998, 2000)

★ 4-time Silver Slugger winner (1991, 1995-96, 1998)

★ Only pitcher to throw two shutouts at Coors Field, doing so while with Atlanta.

Note

¹ At the time of Glavine's achievement, it was speculated that he might be the last member of the 300-wins club. Two factors combine to reduce the possibility of future 300-game winners.
# Traditionally, the 4-man starting rotation was the standard. For example, in the 1950s, club member Early Wynn was part of a famed 4-man group of starters. (In the 1880s, Charley "Old Hoss" Radbourn was in a 2-man rotation.) Today, with the 5-man rotation as standard, starters get 20% fewer starts, and thus their opportunities to get wins are reduced.
# The number of Complete Games pitched has preciptously declined, almost to the vanishing point. The result has been an increase in the number of No Decision starts for pitchers, again reducing their opportunities for wins (and losses). For comparison, club member Christy Mathewson had 434 complete games, Glavine has 55.
When Glavine recorded his 300th win, only Randy Johnson was within striking distance of also achieving the mark, but Johnson was on the Disabled List with season-ending back troubles. He would have to return in 2008, at the age of 45, and would, most likely, need to play for two seaons to notch his 300th win.
Next in line was Mike Mussina, aged 39 and over 50 wins away. For a further discussion, see the 300 win club article.

External links

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