Smoltz ready for first start
WASHINGTON - It's that time again -- time to reinvent himself. John Smoltz has done it a few times in is career -- starter to reliever to starter. Now, it's a new team, post-surgery, all eyes will be upon him tonight when he makes his Boston debut against the Washington Nationals.
Precisely what the Red Sox had in mind as well. Smoltz made six rehab starts and all was deemed successful. The only thing not the same for the future Hall of Famer is his velocity, which is no longer in the mid-90s but more around high 80s to 90 mph. Even with that, Smoltz believes he has enough to get major league hitters out.
Smoltz, who hasn't started a game since April 27 of last year, a 6-3 loss to the Mets in which he pitched four innings and allowed seven hits and four runs, said of what he hopes in his return, "No runs, as many innings as they'll let me pitch ... Basically I want to go out there and do what I've dome the past few starts (in the minors) and see what else happens.
"I have enough pitches to get hitters out. The stuff that everyone's talking about may be different but so be it, but I think the ability to get guys out and pitch will be the same," he said.
Smoltz did pitch an inning of relief on June 2 of last season for the Braves but he was shut down for good after that with recurring shoulder problems. He went through a very public divorce with the Atlanta Braves, the team he hoped to retire with and after an offseason tryout with the Red Sox, he said the team made such a strong first impression that he knew he wanted to be in Boston.
It's been a long road since. He was on Boston's shoulder-strengthening program and took part in spring training, extended spring training and then rehab starts. He's crossed every hurdle.
"It will be a success," Smoltz said confidently. "I came back with the mindset that it's not about stories, it's about the mindset that I can do it again. The end result in three, four or five starts from now you'll see why I feel the way I do."
Smoltz said he hope to learn from his previous reinventions. He said he's never been that impressive his first time back as a starter or a reliever, but he said in both of those cases he went on to have good years. In 2001 after missing all of 2000, he made his return on May 27 and was hit for six hits, five runs in three innings in an 8-3 loss to Colorado. In 2005 after converting back to a starter, he was pounded for six hits and seven runs in 1-2/3 innings vs. Florida on April 5 of that season.
"I'm not going to get caught up too much in whether [my first start] is a success or a failure. It's a start and it's a process. It's how I go about it," he said.
Will it seem strange to don a Red Sox uniform after so long with the Braves?
"That part will be different but it won't be weird to be in a uniform and throwing a baseball. When I'm on the mound I'm going to give everything I absolutely have. I'll let everybody else determine what it is that I have, because I know when [Jason Varitek] puts the finger down that I'm going to throw the best pitch I possibly can, no excuses after that. I have to make pitches. What ever pitches I have, I'll be on the attack."
Updated from yesterday's original post.
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Good Luck from Augusta, Maine Smoltzie .......... Maine's chapter of Red Sox Nation wishes you the best !!
Nick, this is one of the most poorly written articles I have read in recent memory. There are an incredible amount of spelling and grammatical errors. It makes the article very difficult to read. You really should have read this one over before submitting it.
It is "don a Red Sox uniform..." not "dawn."
Good luck.
Hey Nick:
I doubt John Smoltz said anything "confidentially" because in that case, you wouldn't have quoted him. I suspect he said he 'confidently.' Maybe your editor was asleep.
Basically I want to go out there and do what I've dome the past few starts
Will it seem strange to dawn a Red Sox uniform
AWESOME SIGNING FOR A GREAT PRICE. This SOX team is awesome. Read todays NY Post, lots of frantic spankee fans pretty jealous of our great team. They just can`t stand the fact that we are now BETTER. Better teams the last 5 years. BETTER GM who does things more rounded and without panic. We have a younger team and DO NOT have to overspend to make a point. CC and AJ CANNOT MATCH up to Lester, Beckett, or now even Penny. They don`t have the SPEED of the Sox. ANOTHER GREAT SIGNING BY THEO!!!! GO SMOLZTIE!!!! SOX RULE!!!
Comma Nazi, Are you retarded?
Hope he does well. He doesn't realize that Boston won't have nearly the patience as Atlanta would have had.
Not expecting much from him to start, but hopefully he gets better and stronger with each game as long as he does not make us lose ground. Should be very helpfull if he is right and help us in the big games. I still wish they would bring up Bucholtz, i think this kid is ready. (i hope)
Comma Nazi-Get,, a,, life,,,.!
I am giddy...I can't wait to watch this tonight. Imagine what the team can be like if this works out, Papi continues to do well, Tek continues to do well, the SS spot stabilizes...ah, yes, late nights watching playoff games in October. Sweet!
Did Smoltz say, "It will be a success" confidentially or confidently? If it was the former, you shouldn't have told us, because we'll just go and tell everone. :-)
Seriously, good luck to him; I have a feeling we're lucky to have this guy.
As a life long Braves fan, I can only wish John Smoltz the best of luck. Boston is going have perhaps the best big-game pitcher in the Majors. He's a class act as well.
Buckholtz did not do too well when he was put up against Kazmir in the minors.
Was his time to shine and he walked five and did not last too long!
That was pressure and he was not up to it.
Maybe the Sox know more than we do!
OMG! EDWO spelt Buchholz wrong ("Buckholtz"?) Sup with that? What a maroon!
Smoltz is old...don't think this will be a good investment. This is a Yankee like investment....only good thing is only one year...so even if it turns up to be a bad move...we just suffer for half of this season....
I don't want to offend anyone, but when are you folks going to learn the difference between a Blog on Boston.com and printed articles in the Boston Globe. These blogs are just that - blogs! The writers are literally creating these as they type. They do not go thru the normal newspaper editing process. Please stop trying to correct the writers who are posting these. They are trying to get information into your hands ASAP. It is not a newspaper.
John Farrell is Baseball's best pitching coach...by a mile.
John Smoltz' return to an MLB mound tonight is in large part the result of the tremendous talent, patience and knowledge that Coach Farrell brings to the big club and the entire organization.
He is an extremenly valuable member of the organization...perhaps as valuable as anybody in uniform...as he has worked wonders with kids and veterans alike.
Go John Smoltz, and congrats Coach Farrell.
Haha Id
come on, Smoltzy, find your control! you can do it!
Uh ever heard of Dave Duncan, Mitch?
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