Tom Glavine

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Professional baseball career

Glavine's fortunes turned around in 1991 when he won 20 games and posted a 2.55 ERA. It was his first of three consecutive 20 wins or more seasons and his first season to earn the National League Cy Young Award. Glavine's season also led a dramatic reversal in the Braves' competitive fortunes as they won the National League East Division and went to the World Series, only to lose to the Minnesota Twins.

Related Topics:
1991 - ERA - National League - Cy Young Award - World Series - Minnesota Twins

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Atlanta, long thought of as a perrenial 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. The trio of Glavine, John Smoltz and Greg Maddux, acquired in 1993, is considered by some to the best trio of pitchers ever assembled on one team. Between them, they won seven Cy Young Awards during the period of 1991 to 1998. Glavine won his second Cy Young Award in 1998.

Related Topics:
John Smoltz - Greg Maddux - 1993 - 1998

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In 2003, much to the chagrin of many Braves fans, Glavine left Atlanta to play for the rival New York Mets, signing a three-year $35-million deal. For the first time since 1988, Glavine failed to win 10 games, also posting his first losing record in that span, 9-14. In 2004, he stumbled again with his 2nd straight losing record, going 11-14. Glavine's slump was partially blamed on the New York Mets' decline as a team since the 2002 season, resulting in poor run support that frequently deprived him of an otherwise easy win. His performance improved somewhat in 2005, going 13-13 with a 3.53 ERA. However, despite his mediocre performance with the Mets, his pre-2003 performance is more than enough to make him a virtual lock for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Related Topics:
2003 - New York Mets - 1988 - 2004 - New York Mets' - 2002 - 2005 - Baseball Hall of Fame

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As of 2005, Glavine's career win total stands at 275. As recently as 2002, he was considered a shoo-in to eventually achieve 300 career wins; now he will likely need to pitch at least two and perhaps three more seasons--into his early forties--to reach that mark.

Related Topics:
As of 2005 - 300 career wins

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