Tom Glavine (TRADING CARD DB)

Tom Glavine

This article was written by Joseph Wancho

“Yeah, we followed his lead, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that his kind of poise, his mentality, his way of going about his business, well, that’s what won him over 300 games.” Chipper Jones1

 

Tom Glavine (TRADING CARD DB)The Atlanta Braves were on the cusp of nirvana. The World Series trophy was glistening in the late October sun, waiting to be grasped by the winner of the 1995 fall classic. Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium was rocking on its foundation as the Braves fans serenaded their team with chants of “Whoa, Whoa, Whoooooaaa,” while flexing their Tomahawk Chop before and during Game Six. The anticipation of celebrating the team’s first World Series championship since relocating from Milwaukee in 1966 was almost unbearable.

In the center of the diamond, the Braves pinned their hopes on left-handed pitcher Tom Glavine. The pitcher with the boyish looks was as lethal a southpaw as any who toed a pitching rubber in history. He made his major-league debut in 1987, and Braves fans had watched him grow into the dominant pitcher they hoped would make their dreams come true.

But a World Series championship had been elusive for Atlanta. After posting a 65-97 record in 1990, the Braves were the talk of baseball when they went from last to first in 1991 with a 94-68 record. Bobby Cox was being hailed as the best manager in baseball with his Lazarus-like miracle of the Braves’ rise from the basement to the penthouse of the National League West.

After winning a thrilling League Championship Series against Pittsburgh in 1991 in seven games, the Braves met Minnesota in the World Series. Their dreams were dashed when they dropped a 1-0 10-inning Game Seven to Jack Morris and the Twins. The following season, the Braves again won the West, topped the Pirates in a seven-game LCS, and came up short in the World Series again when Toronto beat them in six games. In 1993 Philadelphia ousted the Braves in the LCS in six games. The postseason was canceled in 1994 after the players strike in August detonated the rest of the season.

Now, in front of a capacity crowd, chanting and willing their team to victory, Glavine held the fans’ hopes in his golden left arm.

Thomas Michael Glavine was born on March 25, 1966, in Concord, Massachusetts. He was one of four children (brothers Fred Jr. and Mike and sister Debbie) born to Fred and Millie Glavine. Fred Sr. worked his whole life in construction, and built the family home in Billerica, Massachusetts. He operated his own company, Fred Glavine Construction. Tom worked for his father’s company when he got older, pouring house foundations and building swimming pools. It was tough work, but Tom enjoyed seeing how a house was built from the ground up. But he was smart enough to know that he needed to take precautions against lifting too much weight or putting his treasured left shoulder in peril.

Before Glavine threw a baseball, he was playing hockey at the age of 5. Glavine said hockey, not baseball, was his first love.2 At Billerica Memorial High School, Glavine was a star in both sports. He played center in hockey and enjoyed the constant action and the perpetual movement required of the position. When he played youth hockey, it was not uncommon for there to be 100 or so games on the schedule. As a senior, Glavine led Eastern Massachusetts, in scoring, totaling 44 goals, and 41 assists. Jack Fletcher, who was the coach of Chelmsford, Billerica’s chief rival, appreciated Glavine’s talent on the rink. “He’s been a nightmare for me for four years,” said Fletcher. “He centered their third line his freshman year. I guess Roger (Billerica hickey coach Roger Richard) hid him there. I could see how good he was then. He seems to come through. He stepped in, bingo, he did the job.”3

Glavine was exposed to hockey, either on the rink or playing in the street with his friends. And while the climate in eastern Massachusetts was ideal for someone to lace up the hockey skates, it was not so for baseball. Billerica Memorial might have played around 20 games in the regular season and then the playoffs. Behind Glavine, who also played some center field, Billerica won the East Mass. Baseball championship. A teammate of his was Gary Disarcina, the future shortstop of the Angels.

Glavine also excelled in the classroom. He signed a letter of intent to attend the University of Lowell. His decision was based in part because the school was located close to home and because he would be able to play both hockey and baseball. Glavine was looking forward to being a student-athlete, and playing the two sports he loved at a higher level.

Glavine had established himself as a superior pitcher in baseball, and a left-handed one at that. Shortly after the NHL draft, the Atlanta Braves selected him in the second round of the amateur draft on June 4, 1984. Five days later, Glavine was selected in the fourth round of the National Hockey League draft by the Los Angeles Kings.

It was baseball that won out when Braves scouting director Paul Snyder offered Glavine $80,000 to sign. Fred Sr., who had handled the negotiations, waited until Snyder made an offer that was deemed acceptable. Glavine said goodbye to college and the NHL and headed to the Gulf Coast League to play for the Bradenton Braves rookie league team.

Two important relationships helped Glavine that first year away from home. The first was infielder Mark Lemke, who was in the minors for the second season. Lemke’s road to the big leagues was a bit bumpier than the one Glavine took. But once he got there, they were teammates for several seasons and good friends for life. Initially, Glavine threw the ball hard, trying to show the Braves he was worthy of the $80,000 bonus they gave him. But he began to feel a soreness in his pitching arm. The trainer prescribed rest. Enter Johnny Sain, the roving pitching instructor for the Braves’ minor-league affiliates. Sain had been a great pitcher for the Boston Braves and the New York Yankees, as well as a pitching coach for years with the Yankees. He knew a little about his craft. “We’re going to throw every day to get your arm strong,” said Sain.4

As they followed that plan, the pain started to ease and Glavine posted a 2-3 record with a 3.34 ERA. His strikeouts outnumbered his walks, 34 to 13. This trend would follow Glavine through his professional career. Not only could he bring the heat, but he was an excellent control pitcher.

Glavine climbed up the Braves’ minor-league chain, having successful years at Sumter of the Class-A South Atlantic League in 1985 and Greenville of the Double-A Southern League in 1986. At Double A, Glavine posted a 9-6 record and a 2.35 ERA. He started to throw a changeup. At Greenville, Glavine went 11-6 with a 3.41 ERA. He earned a promotion to Richmond, the Braves’ top farm club, in the Triple-A International League. His first start was on the road at Pawtucket on July 31. With many family and friends in attendance, Glavine was knocked around. He gave up eight runs on four hits, including a grand slam, in 2⅓ innings. Pawtucket won the game, 18-0. The rest of his season at Richmond followed suit, as Glavine went 1-5 with a 5.63 ERA in seven starts. For one of the few times in his professional career, Glavine walked more (27) than he struck out (12).

The Detroit Tigers were making a push for the American League East Division title in 1987. To strengthen their pitching corps down the stretch, the Tigers traded pitching prospect John Smoltz to Atlanta for veteran starter Doyle Alexander. The Braves had a spot open on their pitching staff and called Glavine up from Richmond. Although his won-lost record was 6-12, his ERA was 3.35. It was a clear indication that he was pitching better and that he was losing some tough games.

Glavine made his major-league debut on August 17, 1987, against Houston at the Astrodome. Atlanta (50-67) was out of contention for a playoff spot in the NL West. Houston (58-59) was in third place, three games behind San Francisco and Cincinnati. The Astros hammered Glavine, putting six runs on the board in 3⅔ innings as they whipped the Braves, 11-2. “If I worry about what happened, it won’t do me any good,” said Glavine. “I have to take what I did positive, and take it out in my next start.”5

That thinking by Glavine proved beneficial. He won his next start, on August 22, against Pittsburgh, 10-3, his first victory in the majors. In nine starts he finished with a 2-4 record and a 5.54 ERA. It was something to build on.

Over the next three seasons, the Braves occupied the basement of the NL West. Manager Chuck Tanner was relieved early in the 1988 season. He was replaced by Russ Nixon, and eventually by Bobby Cox in 1990. Glavine led the league in losses with 17 in 1988. Not one Atlanta starter reached double digits in wins. The high point for Glavine came on September 7 against San Francisco. He hurled his first complete game, a three-hitter, in a 4-1 win.

The transformation of the Braves began in 1990, although it may have been clouded by their third consecutive finish in last place. Starting pitcher Charlie Leibrandt was traded to Atlanta in the offseason. Together with outfielder Lonnie Smith and third baseman Jim Presley, the Braves had three veteran players who contributed on the diamond and off. Glavine, in addition to Smoltz and the Braves’ number-one pick in 1988, Steve Avery, were a rotation in the making. Jeff Blauser, Ron Gant, and Lemke all came up through the Braves farm system. Dave Justice, who was a fourth-round pick by Atlanta in 1985, burst onto the scene and walked away with Rookie of the Year honors from both The Sporting News and the Baseball Writers Association of America.

The Braves added two veteran free agents to their roster for the 1991 season to solidify the left side of their infield: Rafael Belliard at shortstop and Terry Pendleton at third base. But it was Glavine (20-11, 2.55 ERA) who tied John Smiley of Pittsburgh for the league lead in wins. Glavine also shared the league lead in complete games (9) with Dennis Martinez of Montreal.

On June 19, 1991, Atlanta toppled the Phillies, 9-2, at Veterans Stadium. Glavine struck out a career-high 12 batters. “We know when we walk on the field with Glavine in there, all we need is two or three runs,” said Gant.6

Glavine was selected by Cincinnati Reds manager Lou Piniella to start the All-Star Game at Toronto’s SkyDome on July 9. He rang up three AL All-Stars in two innings of work. “It might not have showed, but (nerves) were there,” said Glavine. “I was nervous.”7

The Braves were new to this division race thing. As September came to a close, Los Angeles held a one-game lead over Atlanta. But the Dodgers went 2-3 in October, while Atlanta posted a 4-1 record. Atlanta won its first division title since 1982.

Glavine dropped two games in the League Championship Series, but the Braves topped the Pirates in seven games and won their first pennant since 1958, when they were in Milwaukee. They were matched against Minnesota in the World Series. Glavine broke through with his first postseason win on October 24 in Game Five to even his record at 1-1 in the fall classic. But in a Series that went seven games, it was Jack Morris who stood the tallest, going 10 innings for a 1-0 win in Game Seven.

Glavine received the Cy Young Award that season. “I’m not going to say I’m the best pitcher, but I’ve always felt I had the ability to be considered one of the better pitchers,” he said. “It was just a matter of developing the ability I had. I’m not cocky, but I think I’m a confident person. When I go out there, I’m confident in my ability to win.”8

The 1992 season was almost a carbon copy of 1991. Glavine won 20 games again, and the Braves won the NL West. Atlanta faced Pittsburgh again in the LCS and were victorious in seven games again. Glavine was not at his best, losing both starts to Pirates knuckleballer Tim Wakefield.

Against Toronto in the World Series, Glavine started Game One. The Blue Jays started Morris, who had signed with Toronto as a free agent. Glavine responded to the challenge by shaking off the hangover from the LCS and pitched the Braves to victory. He went the distance, gave up just four hits, and struck out six in the Braves’ 3-1 win. “You sit here the last four days and read about how terrible you are in the postseason,” said Glavine. “It seems like this time of year, they throw out everything you did over the course of the year. If I didn’t win 20 games, we wouldn’t have been here. It’s a little aggravating. It shows people’s true colors during the heat of battle.”9

Glavine did have an admirer in the opposing dugout. Toronto manager Cito Gaston knew full well why his team lost the opener. “He kept the ball on the outside of the plate where we couldn’t get to it,” said Gaston.10

The Blue Jays won the Series in six games. The Braves had now made it to the Series two years in a row but lost. To try to rectify that trend, they pulled off perhaps the biggest free-agent signing of the offseason. Greg Maddux, the reigning Cy Young Award winner with the Chicago Cubs in 1992, signed a five-year deal worth $28 million. (Maddux turned down $34.5 million from the New York Yankees.)

Atlanta now sported three top starters, Glavine, Smoltz, and now Maddux. With Avery as the fourth starter, the Braves had the premier starting rotation in the major leagues. The results in 1993 were as anticipated: Glavine (22-6, 3.20 ERA), Maddux (20-10, 2.36), Smoltz (15-11, 3.62), and Avery (18-6, 2.94). Glavine tied John Burkett of San Francisco for the league lead in wins while Maddux was tops in ERA.

Another development came in the way of matrimony for Glavine. He and Carri Ann Dobbins were wed on November 7, 1992. They had one daughter, Amber Nicole.

In spite of Atlanta’s stable of outstanding hurlers, they were tied with San Francisco with identical 103-58 records going into the last game of the 1993 season. The Giants closed out the season in Los Angeles, and were drubbed in the last game, 12-1, Atlanta closed at home against Colorado. Glavine defeated the expansion Rockies and the Braves won the division by one game.

The Braves’ pennant streak was snapped at two years, as Philadelphia ousted Atlanta in six games in the NLCS.

The 1994 season saw realignment in both leagues. Each broke out into three divisions from two. Now there was a Central Division in addition to East and West Divisions. The Braves were moved into the East along with Montreal, Philadelphia, Florida, and the New York Mets. The extra division also created an extra layer to the playoffs, adding a wild-card team to the three division winners in the postseason.

The players strike ended the season on August 12, 1994. “Everything (baseball team owners have) done has been to set up a confrontation,” said union leader Donald Fehr. “All it suggests is it’s going to be a long strike.”11 Fehr wasn’t kidding: The strike not only canceled the rest of the 1994 season and the postseason, it bled over to 1995, when the first 20 games were also chopped from the schedule. Glavine, who was the Braves’ player representative, came under fire for comments he made in the press. Atlanta, not known as a strong union city, took offense at Glavine’s talk of freedom. When he considered crossing the picket line to join the replacement players, Phil Niekro said that Glavine was being “greedy.”12 He took shots at owners during negotiations. “These guys (owners) are getting more than they ever thought they were going to get,” said Glavine. “So why is it so hard to get a deal? The answer to that question is, they’ve always wanted more. More to the point where they have total control over players’ careers….”13 But the fans were ready to criticize any player, but specifically those who spoke their mind, like Glavine. “He was vilified as the leader of the union,” said Braves President Stan Kasten. “The fans’ anger was misplaced. He was just doing his job and exhibiting the same determination and passion that makes us love him on the mound.”14

Tom Glavine (ATLANTA BRAVES)In 1995 the Braves got off to a slow start. At the end of June they trailed the Phillies by four games. But the teams reversed their positions in July as the Braves went 20-7 and the Phillies posted a 9-20 record. Atlanta was now in first place, eight games ahead of the Phillies. They did not look back and won the division by 21 games over the Mets and Philadelphia.

On August 10 the Braves edged the Reds, 2-1. Glavine did not get a decision, going eight innings and giving up only an unearned run. However, he did provide Atlanta with its first run when he hit the only home run of his big-league career in the sixth inning. “It was one of the better games I had this year — nothing was easy,” said Glavine. “It was a battle, but I found a way to keep us in it.”15

Atlanta ousted Colorado in the LDS in four games, then swept Cincinnati in the LCS. Glavine made a start in each series, but did not get a decision.

After a three-year hiatus, the Braves returned to the fall classic. Their opponent was the Cleveland Indians, who were making their first postseason appearance in 41 years. Cleveland was the top offensive team in the majors and had the best pitching staff in the AL. The adage that good pitching will always top good hitting was certainly true in this series. The Braves won Game One, 3-2, behind Maddux. Glavine followed suit in Game Two, winning 4-3. The Indians won two of three at Jacobs Field, and the series returned to Atlanta with the Braves leading three games to two.

Glavine started Game Seven, against Dennis Martinez. It was a tightly pitched game, but Glavine was a bit better. He didn’t allow a hit until a leadoff single by Tony Peña in the top of the sixth. David Justice’s solo home run off relief pitcher Jim Poole in the bottom of the inning gave the Braves a 1-0 lead.

Glavine kept the Indians hitless over the next two innings before turning the matter over to Mark Wohlers, who pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to give the Braves their first World Series title since 1957. Glavine was named the Series’ Most Valuable Player. “It’s just really great how it came down to all of this. It’s the best feeling in the world,” he commented.16 Cox might have uttered the understatement of the evening: “He pitched a perfect game.”17

One might think that the Braves would be the talk of Atlanta. After all, they had won the city’s first World Series championship (and as of 2019, their only one). But a once-in-a-lifetime event was taking place in Atlanta. The Summer Olympics were returning to the United States in 1996 and Atlanta was the host city. More than 10,000 athletes would compete in 26 sports at various venues across the city.

Because Fulton County Stadium was a venue that would be used frequently, the Braves were forced to vacate the city and embarked on a 17-game road trip from July 18 through August 4. The Braves went 9-8 on the trip, which saw them begin in Houston and travel to St. Louis, San Francisco, San Diego, and Los Angeles. In the next to last game, on August 3, the Braves edged the Dodgers, 5-3, in an 18-inning affair. Glavine did not pitch in the game, but he pinch-hit for reliever Brad Clontz. He popped out to the catcher in the 12th inning.

The Braves (96-66) won the East again, outdistancing the Expos (88-74) by eight games. Atlanta swept the Dodgers in the LDS. Glavine nailed down the series by winning Game Three, 5-2. (Wohlers earned a save in all three games.) In the LCS, the St. Louis Cardinals took a 3-1 series lead, but the Braves won three straight games to clinch the pennant. Glavine was on the hill for Game Seven. The Braves hammered St. Louis, 15-0. Glavine pitched seven innings, scattering three hits.

The Braves’ opponent in the World Series was the New York Yankees. Atlanta won the first two games, but the Yankees won four straight games to take the Series. Having pitched Game Seven of the LCS, Glavine pitched only one game in the World Series. He toed the rubber for Game Three. Although he pitched well (seven innings, four hits, eight strikeouts, one earned run), Glavine left on the short end of a 2-1 score. The Yankees won, 5-2.

Glavine turned author with the release of None but the Braves: A Pitcher, A Team, A Champion in 1996 by Harper.

The next two seasons Atlanta was eliminated in the LCS. In 1997 the Florida Marlins bested them and in 1998, it was the San Diego Padres. For Glavine, the end of the Braves season in 1998 may have left a bitter taste. But his pitching in the regular season (20-6, 2.47 ERA) earned him his second Cy Young Award. “Having won it one time, I’ve had a burning desire to win it again,” said Glavine, “just to prove the first time wasn’t a fluke.”18

In 1997 Tom and Carri Ann divorced. On November 14, 1998, Glavine married Christine St. Onge of Newton Highlands, Massachusetts. They had three children together: Peyton, Mason, and Kienan. Christine had a son, Jonathan, from a previous marriage.

Atlanta won the East again in 1999 and it was beginning to sound like a broken record with their dominance year in, year out. Glavine (14-11, 4.12 ERA) may not have been as sharp as in years past: He led the league in hits allowed (259). But it was the first of four straight seasons that he led the league in games started. At 33, and with a lot of innings pitched so far, it was a testament to how great Glavine kept himself in shape. But through June 4, Glavine was 3-7 with a 5.00 ERA. He did bounce back to have a decent season, but instead of leading the pitching staff, Glavine was third in wins and fourth in ERA.

The Braves breezed through the postseason, disposing of the Astros in four games in the LDS and the Mets in six games in the LCS. In a rematch of the 1996 World Series, they faced the Yankees. The Yankees swept the Braves. Glavine, who came down with the flu, was scratched from starting Game One at home. He recovered to start Game Three at Yankee Stadium. The Braves were leading 5-2 going into the bottom of the seventh inning. But a solo home run by Tino Martinez cut into the lead. Glavine came out for the bottom of the eighth. A single by Joe Girardi and a homer by Chuck Knoblauch tied the score, 5-5, ending Glavine’s night. “I know everybody’s going to ask why you left him in,” said Cox, “but he was throwing great. He didn’t want to come out of the game. I asked him if he was tired and he said no.”19

Glavine led the NL in wins (21-9, 3.40 ERA) in 2000. From July through September, he was 14-4 and was leading the charge to another division title. The Braves had tight competition: The Mets were formidable foes. The Braves were 7-6 against the Mets. The one-game difference was the margin by which they won the division. Then they were swept by the Cardinals in the LDS. Glavine, who started Game Two, was shelled, giving up seven runs in 2⅓ innings.

Over the next two seasons, the Braves continued to dominate the East. But in 2001 they were ousted by Arizona in the LCS and in 2002 by San Francisco in the LDS. In 2002 Glavine tied Kevin Millwood for most wins on the team with 18. At 36 years old, he was still going strong, starting over 30 games a season and pitching well over 200 innings.

But Glavine’s time in Atlanta had come to an end. The Braves had signed Smoltz to a three-year, $30 million deal. Glavine, feeling he had proved his worth, wanted the same treatment. But the Braves balked at his asking price. The negotiations became contentious and personal. In the end, Glavine found a willing team to sign him. He signed a three-year, $35 million deal with the Mets that include a vesting option for a fourth year.20

Asked what it’s like to play in New York, Glavine said: “There’s no place better to play when you’re going good, and there’s no place worse to be when you’re not. You just try to stay on the good side as much as you possibly can because when it’s not going good, it’s a difficult place to play because they let you know.”21

Based on his answer, it may have been difficult for Glavine in the first two seasons with the Mets. For the first season since 1990, he finished below .500 (9-14, 4.52 ERA) in 2003, with a five-game losing streak from May 24 through June 28. A familiar face joined the Mets in September when they called up Mike Glavine from Triple-A Norfolk. In his debut on September 14, Mike pinch-hit for his older brother and grounded out.

Glavine, who was noticeably distressed at two misplays by outfielder Roger Cedeño, summed up his feelings after the 7-3 loss to Montreal. “If I gave off some kind of indication emotionally about what I thought, my apologies. But as hard as you try to keep your emotions in check, sometimes you get frustrated. It’s the nature of the game. In a season like this where so many things have gone wrong for all of us, I think sometimes it’s a little harder to hide your emotions than others.”22

It may not have helped that Atlanta was cruising to another division title, while the Mets were mired in last place, 34½ games behind the Braves.

The 2004 season was not much better for Glavine and the Mets. The Mets inched up to fourth place in the East, but Glavine again finished under .500 (11-14, 3.60 ERA). The highlight of the season came on May 23, when he threw a career-best one-hitter against Colorado at Shea Stadium. Kit Pellow broke up the no-hit bid with a double in the eighth inning

The Mets (97-65) put an end to the Braves’ dominance in 2006, finishing in first place in the East. Glavine (15-7, 3.82 ERA) and Steve Trachsel (15-8, 4.97 ERA) were the only two Mets hurlers to post double-digit wins. But they had a premier closer in Billy Wagner, who had 40 saves in 2006. The Mets swept the Dodgers in the LDS, with Glavine getting the win in Game Two. But they lost to St. Louis in seven games in the LCS, Glavine was opposed by the Cardinals’ Jeff Weaver, in both starts in the Championship Series and went 1-1. In Game Seven, a two-run home run in the top of the ninth inning by Yadier Molina was the difference as the Cardinals won, 3-1.

Tom Glavine (TRADING CARD DB)For 2007 the 41-year-old Glavine signed a one-year deal with the Mets for $10 million. On August 5 he beat Chicago 8-3 at Wrigley Field for his 300th career win. With a packed house and a national television audience looking on, Glavine pitched 6⅓ innings and gave up two earned runs. As important as a game as it was for Glavine, the Mets stayed ahead of the Braves by 4½ games as the season headed into the stretch. “The feeling right now is probably relief,” said Glavine. “Leading up to this, there are a lot of emotions going into it, but now that it’s over, there’s a sense of relief.”23 He was the 23rd major-league pitcher to achieve the milestone.

On September 23 the Mets led Philadelphia by 2½ games. But they dropped their six of their last seven games and fell into second place as the Phillies won the division.

Glavine returned to Atlanta for the 2008 season, but started only 13 games before calling it quits, making his last start on August 14. His won-lost record for season was 2-4, the same mark as in his first year in 1987. For his career Glavine was 305-203, with a 3.54 ERA. He totaled 2,607 strikeouts against 1,500 walks. Glavine pitched 4,413⅓ innings, and had 56 complete games and 25 shutouts. He had five seasons of 20 or more wins. He was elected to 10 All-Star teams.

In retirement, Glavine has worked as a special assistant in the Braves’ front office. In 2010 he became a guest analyst for Braves games on Fox Sports South and Fox Sports Southeast.

On August 6, 2010, the Braves inducted Glavine into their Hall of Fame and retired his number 47. “I hope at the end of the day whether you watched the game here at the stadium or on TV, when you saw number 47 walk to the mound, you knew I was going to give you everything I had,” Glavine told the rain-soaked capacity crowd at Turner Field.24

Glavine was a first-ballot inductee to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014 when he received 91.1 percent of the vote from the Baseball Writers Association of America. Greg Maddux, Bobby Cox, Frank Thomas, Tony La Russa, and Joe Torre joined Glavine in the HOF Class of 2014.

In 2016 Glavine collaborated on a second book with Boston Globe sportswriter Nick Cafardo, Tom Glavine: Inside Pitch. The book was essentially a continuation from the one written 20 years earlier

As of 2019 Glavine lived in Alpharetta, Georgia, just outside Atlanta. His son Peyton was selected by the Los Angeles Angels in the 37th round of the 2017 draft, but chose to enroll at Auburn University.

And like dad, he is a lefty.

Last revised: October 1, 2019

 

Notes

1 National Baseball Hall of Fame website, Tom Glavine’s page, baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/glavine-tom Accessed April 11, 2019’

2 Tom Glavine with Nick Cafardo, Inside Pitch: Playing and Broadcasting the Game I Love (Chicago: Triumph Books, 2016), 32.

3 Jerry Higgins, “Glavine Billerica’s Mr. Clutch,” Boston Globe, February 21, 1984: 32.

4 Tom Glavine with Nick Cafardo, 52.

5 Gerry Fraley, “Astros Tough on Glavine, Braves 11-2,” Atlanta Constitution, August 18, 1987: 7-D.

6 I.J. Rosenberg, “Glavine Leads Way as Braves End Skid,” Atlanta Constitution, June 20, 1991: G9.

7 Joe Strauss, “Glavine Escapes Unscathed,” Atlanta Constitution, July 10, 1991: G4.

8 Joe Strauss, “Cy Young for a Young Gun,” Atlanta Constitution, November 13, 1991: F7.

9 Steve Hummer, “Glavine Forgets Postseason Blues while Braves Chase Down a Ghost,” Atlanta Constitution, October 18, 1992: E3.

10 Ibid.

11 Mike Fish, “Handful of Owners Hold Key,” Atlanta Constitution, August 13, 1994: D4.

12 Steve Marantz, “The Two Sides of Tom Glavine,” The Sporting News, May 1, 1995: 44.

13 Marantz, 46.

14 Bob Nightengale, “Glavine Focused on Union, Pitching,” USA Today Baseball Weekly, August 21-27, 2002: 9.

15 I.J. Rosenberg, “Lopez’s Hit in 9th Sends Reds Packing,” Atlanta Constitution, August 11, 1995: E1.

16 I.J. Rosenberg,” Tommy-Hawked! Glavine Helps Deliver First World Series Title to Atlanta,” Atlanta Constitution, October 29, 1995: E1.

17 Rosenberg, “Tommy-Hawked!”

18 Thomas Stinson. “Glavine Awarded Cy Over Hoffman,” Atlanta Constitution, November 18, 1996: E1.

19 Murray Chass, “Yanks Come Off the Mat to Foil Braves’ Strategy,” New York Times, October 27, 1999: D1.

20 Jack Curry, “At Long Last, a Good Move,” New York Times, December 6, 2002: D5.

21 Glavine and Cafardo, Inside Pitch, 298.

22 Rafael Hermosa, “Milestones for Glavine, for Better and Worse,” New York Times, September 15, 2003: D7.

23 Ben Shpigel, “300 Mets’ Glavine Reaches Milestone After a Week of Anxious Moments,” New York Times, August 6, 2007: D1.

24 Carroll Rogers, “Emotional Glavine Gets Fitting Ovation,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, August 7, 2010: C3.

Full Name

Thomas Michael Glavine

Born

March 25, 1966 at Concord, MA (USA)

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