Big Three (Atlanta Braves)

The Big Three was a trio of Major League Baseball starting pitchers for the Atlanta Braves from 1993-2002. It consisted of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz. The Big Three was one of the best trio of pitchers in Major League Baseball. They combined to win six National League Cy Young Awards in the 1990s and helped lead the Atlanta Braves to a 1995 World Series win. Each member of the Big Three has had their jersey retired by the Atlanta Braves and has been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Tom Glavine made his Major League debut on August 17, 1987 while John Smoltz made his Major League debut on July 23, 1988. At that time, Greg Maddux was playing with the Chicago Cubs. The duo of pitchers would get off to a poor start as Tom Glavine would have a 9-21 record, a 4.76 ERA, and 104 strikeouts over his first two seasons, while John Smoltz had a 14-18 record, a 3.54 ERA, and 205 strikeouts over his first two seasons. Things would start to turn around after that, as Tom Glavine had a 14-8 record, a 3.68 ERA, and 90 strikeouts in 1989 and John Smoltz had a 14-11 record, a 3.85 ERA, and 170 strikeouts in 1990.

Their dominance would begin in 1991 as Tom Glavine had a NL-leading 20 wins along with a 2.55 ERA and 192 and he would win his first Cy Young Award that season. They would help lead the Atlanta Braves to a West Division title and a trip to the NLCS that season. John Smoltz did not perform so well in the 1991 NLCS as he posted a 0-2 record and a 2.55 ERA, while John Smoltz would post a 2-0 record and a 1.76 ERA, and he would pitch a complete game shutout in Game 7 of the NLCS against the Pittsburgh Pirates to lead the Braves to their first World Series appearance since 1958, and their first World Series appearance in Atlanta. Tom Glavine's bad postseason luck would continue into the World Series, as Chili Davis homered off of him in the first inning of Game 2 to give the Minnesota Twins a 2-0 lead. He would stay in the game through eight innings, but surrendered another homer to Scott Leius in the eighth inning, which would cost the Braves the game, as they fell to the Twins 3-2 and were now in a 2-0 hole in the World Series. After the Braves won Game 3, John Smoltz took the mound in Game 4, and he would last seven innings and surrender two runs, and the Braves would win off of a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning to tie the series at 2-2. Tom Glavine would start Game 5 and would receive the win as the Braves dominated the Twins by a score of 14-5 to take a 3-2 lead heading back to Minneapolis. After the Braves fell to the Twins 5-4 in 11 innings in Game 6, John Smoltz would take the mound once again in Game 7. John Smoltz would go 7.1 innings without surrendering a run, but that would not do for the Braves as the Twins would win Game 7 off of a walk-off single in the 10th inning to win the World Series.

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