THIS IS IT

Another Rubber Match!

Smoltz vies for milestone vs. ex-mate
05/24/2007 1:00 AM ET
By Jeff Lutz / MLB.com

John Smoltz looks forward to the day he and Tom Glavine can both wear Braves hats together again. Not on the field, but in the Hall of Fame, where both pitchers will probably be inducted on the first ballot.

“This organization feels that the hat he’s going to wear is going to be an Atlanta Braves hat,” Smoltz said of Glavine. “This organization feels, and deep down everybody who has been here knows, that he is an Atlanta Brave. But he just isn’t right now.”

Smoltz can boost his Hall resume Thursday, when he looks to pick up career win No. 200 against his good friend Glavine and the Mets in the finale of a three-game set in Atlanta, a series that’s tied at a game apiece.

It’s the third time this season Smoltz has met his former fellow Atlanta ace, but added importance comes with this one. In addition to Smoltz’s potential milestone, Glavine is looking to continue his trail toward 300 wins, entering Thursday with 295.

More importantly, though, the pitchers just want to win. Smoltz remembers his first win, but none after that. He probably won’t remember No. 200, either, unless it comes against his buddy Glavine, who happens to play for Atlanta’s biggest National League East rival.

“The only thing [beating Glavine] does is give you a better memory,” Smoltz said. “I couldn’t tell you who half my wins are against from a significance standpoint.”

That’s because, to Smoltz, they’re all significant.

“I think Smoltzie thrives every five days, no matter what,” Braves manager Bobby Cox said.

Both pitchers have thrived since Glavine left the Braves as a free agent to sign with New York before the 2003 season. Since then, the pair have combined for 89 wins, as well as 89 saves—all by Smoltz, who spent four years as Atlanta’s closer.

The Braves’ pitching was the key in their record 14 straight division titles from 1991-2005. That’s why Glavine and Smoltz, though no longer teammates, will forever be linked, even after their duels become only memories.

“I think that, for us,” Glavine said, “the friendship that we have, and knowing we’ll be friends long beyond baseball, there are a lot of things we’ll have the opportunity to tell stories about. The matchups that we’ve had this year will certainly only add to that.”

Pitching matchup
NYM: LHP Tom Glavine (5-1, 3.43 ERA)
Glavine hasn’t lost since April 7, going 4-0 with four no-decisions. He has pitched exactly six innings in eight of his 10 starts this season.

ATL: RHP John Smoltz (6-2, 2.85 ERA)
Smoltz is 1-0 in his two matchups vs. Glavine. He earned a no-decision in their last meeting, when on April 22, he allowed six earned runs in 5 2/3 innings.

Player to watch
Braves outfielder Andruw Jones has torched his former teammate, going 16-for-40 against Glavine with four homers. Jones said Wednesday that his exploits at the plate and in the field accounted for “about 15” of Glavine’s 242 wins as a Brave.

Braves, Braves vs Mets, Sports