Old Man Still Kickin' and Kickin' Hard

First off, let me congratulate one of the most dominating pitchers of this era for recording his 3,000 K and ensuring his date in Cooperstown. He pitched a hell of a game last night too. John Smoltz allowed only 5 hits and 1 ER in 7 IP while striking out 10 Nationals and walking none. He ended up taking a loss as the Braves offense was unable to score a single run against the woeful Nats. That is the only blemish on his stats so far this season. Smoltz was carving up the Nationals striking out 10 for the second straight game and for the 45th time in his career. He has been with out a doubt the best pitcher so far on the young season. His stats read like Bob Gibson stats. In 4 starts and 23 IP Smoltz has an ERA of 0.78 and a WHIP of 0.91 while striking out 31 and walking only 6. Not shabby for a guy who turns 41 in a couple of weeks.

The ability that Smoltz has shown to be able to pitch like a 25 year old 15 years after he was 25 is what will make him a legend in this game. Aside from being one of the best human beings in baseball, Smoltz defines what a baseball player should be: hardworking, competitive, tenacious, strong willed, intelligent, and durable. The last adjective is what amazes me about the man. He's only had one significant injury in his career which kept him out of the game for a year and forced him to become a relief pitcher. When he became the Braves' closer, I thought okay he'll never start again but he could be a nightmare of a ninth inning guy. After two years of being the best closer in the game he wanted to start again. I thought, okay maybe he'll be a number three starter type with an ERA just under 4.00, maybe 5 K/9 IP. Instead the guy went right back into the rotation and didn't miss a beat.

With the way Smoltz is pitching it seems as if he can go five more years. He was probably about a 8th round pick in most drafts and people are getting first round value from him. His hot start surprised me again because of the talk coming out of Spring Training of trapezoid muscle problems and back/shoulder problems in general. We have seen no sign of these injuries as being a hindrance for Smoltzy. I think he can keep up a similar pace to the one he's on for another month and a half. Then he may go through a stretch where he is tired or hurting a bit and then finish up with a strong finish. In any case, Smoltz's name should be mentioned along with the other handful of pitchers that people call the best of the era which to this point it rarely has been.