Tom Glavine Ace Rotation

Lore & Background

Glavine was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the 1984 NHL draft and by the Braves in the second round of the 1984 MLB draft. He chose baseball. He debuted August 17, 1987. After a 33–43 record from 1987–1990, he won 20 games in 1991 with a 2.55 ERA, earning his first Cy Young Award. He won 20 games in three straight years (1991–1993), becoming one of the few pitchers to achieve that feat, though he is not the last to do so. He won his second Cy Young in 1998 (20–6, 2.47 ERA). He was named World Series MVP in 1995, winning Game 2 and Game 6 (eight innings of one-hit ball, striking out eight, though he did not complete the shutout). He also pitched in the World Series in 1991, 1992, 1996, and 1999, all losses.

Reader's Guide

Glavine's career is defined by consistency and longevity. He was the ace of the Braves' rotation alongside Steve Avery, Charlie Leibrandt, and John Smoltz, and later with Greg Maddux and Smoltz. He left for the Mets in 2003, struggled initially, but rebounded to win 300 games on August 5, 2007, against the Chicago Cubs. He returned to the Braves in 2008 but was placed on the disabled list for the first time in his career on April 18, 2008.

Did You Know?

• Glavine was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the 1984 NHL draft, one round ahead of Brett Hull and four rounds ahead of Luc Robitaille.
• Glavine won 20 games in three straight years (1991–1993), though he is not the last MLB pitcher to do so—Randy Johnson (1999–2002) and others have since matched the feat.