Tom Glavine

Lore & Background

Glavine was born in Concord, Massachusetts, and raised in Billerica, Massachusetts. He 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, he scored 47 goals and 47 assists in 23 high school games, and 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. He graduated from high school in 1984 with honors. Glavine was elected to the Billerica Memorial/Howe High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993. He was drafted by both the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the 1984 NHL entry draft in the fourth round, 69th overall, and by the Atlanta Braves in the second round of the 1984 MLB draft. Glavine elected to play baseball and signed on with the Braves.

In Their Own Story

The humidity hung heavy over Shea Stadium on a late October night, the air thick with the scent of cut grass and anticipation. Tom Glavine stood on the mound, adjusting his cap, the familiar weight of the baseball settling into his palm. He didn't need to shout; his calm presence was enough to steady the infielders behind him. As he wound up for a left-handed curveball that would drop like a stone, the stadium held its breath, knowing this was the moment where legends were made and history written in chalk dust.

Reader's Guide

Glavine made his major league debut on August 17, 1987. He had mixed results during his first four seasons, compiling a 33–43 record from 1987 to 1990. His fortunes turned around in 1991, when he won 20 games and posted a 2.55 ERA, earning his first National League Cy Young Award. He won 20 games in three consecutive seasons (1991–1993). Glavine won his second Cy Young Award in 1998, going 20–6 with a 2.47 ERA. He pitched in five World Series with the Braves (1991, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1999), winning in 1995 and being named Series MVP. In 2003, Glavine left Atlanta to play for the New York Mets, signing a four-year, $42.5 million deal. He struggled in his first year as a Met, going 9–14. In 2004, he posted an 11–14 record. In 2005, he finished 13–13 with a 3.53 ERA. In 2006, he went 15–7 with a 3.82 ERA, helping the Mets win the NL East. He started Game 2 of the Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, pitching six shutout innings, and started Game 1 of the National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, pitching seven shutout innings. He lost Game 5 of the NLCS, and the Mets lost the series in seven games. On August 5, 2007, Glavine won his 300th game, against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. On September 30, 2007, he started the final game of the Mets' regular season against the Florida Marlins, allowing seven runs while recording only one out, and the Mets were eliminated from playoff contention. Glavine declined a one-year, $13 million contract option for the 2008 season with the Mets on October 5, 2007, ending his tenure with the team. On November 18, 2007, he rejoined the Braves.

Did You Know?

• Glavine was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the 1984 NHL entry draft, two rounds ahead of Brett Hull and five ahead of Luc Robitaille.
• He was the last major league pitcher to win 20 games in three straight years (1991–1993).
• Glavine is the 23rd pitcher to win 300 games, and the fifth left-handed pitcher to do so.
• He was a four-year member of the honor roll and the National Honor Society in high school.