John Smoltz
John Smoltz
John Andrew Smoltz, nicknamed "Smoltzie" and "Marmaduke," is an American former baseball pitcher who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1988 to 2009, all but the last year with the Atlanta Braves. An eight-time All-Star, Smoltz was one of a celebrated trio of starting pitchers, along with Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, who propelled Atlanta to perennial pennant contention in the 1990s, highlighted by a championship in the 1995 World Series. He won the National LeagueCy Young Award...
bigger deal eight few fight hits innings realize
I fight the frustration when I give up a few hits like that. I'm old enough to realize that I can fight through that and just keep it there. ... All in all, to go eight innings was probably a bigger deal for me than anything else.
side stand
If I could stand up there with my whole side protected, ... why would I give up anything?
felt gave given stuff year
I felt with my stuff tonight, I shouldn't have given up a run, and I gave up three. It's the way our year has gone.
guess
If I had to guess today, I think I'm going to be fine, ... I really do.
cold felt lost related second
I couldn't get my feel in the second inning. I felt I lost it and then I got it back. It's related to the cold weather, and that's all we've had out here.
blow people realize vital
It's a devastating blow for us, because I don't think people realize how vital he was to our rotation.
next win
It's a frustrating way to lose, because you'd always like to win that first game. Now we have to win the next two.
hard pitch playoff tried
I tried a little too hard early. I tried to pitch like it was a playoff game.
came guys hard knew needed playoff tried
I tried a little too hard early. I pitched like it was a playoff game. We needed to win. The guys came through. I knew if I could keep it close, we would have a chance.
ball bat eighth erase flew flying ugly
The ball was flying today. Certainly, for us in the ninth, thankfully, it flew with Chipper's bat and Andruw's. That, hopefully, will erase what was an ugly eighth inning.
case couple days extra fresh giving starting
It's just a case of giving me a couple extra days off. We're fresh enough in the starting rotation.
famous followed ingrained player score
It's just ingrained into a player now. It's more famous here than anyplace else in the world, ... The only thing about it here is it's followed by, 'Let's score some runs!'
huge role
It's a role with a huge magnifying glass. We're fine. It'll turn.
criticism critics-and-criticism deal given harder
It's one thing to deal with criticism when you haven't done your job. That's part of the game. But it's harder to deal with it before you've even been given a chance.