Atlanta Braves To Retire John Smoltz’s Number 29
Atlanta, GA – In a pregame ceremony to be held on June 8, 2012, Atlanta Braves pitching great and current broadcaster John Smoltz will watch as his number 29 will be retired by the organization he played with for so long. Additionally, Smoltz will be inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame on that day.
On the 8th of June the Braves will be hosting the Toronto Blue Jays at Turner Field. They plan on holding the ceremony with the fans present right before the game. The Braves have retired nine uniform numbers previously, three of which Smoltz played with on the field or under as manager, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux and Smoltz’s former manager Bobby Cox.
Braves president John Schuerholz sent out a news release saying,
“John has contributed so much to Atlanta Braves history. Inducting him into our Hall of Fame and making sure no one else will ever wear his No. 29 are the most meaningful and significant ways we can honor John.”
John Smoltz played for 20 seasons with the Atlanta Braves. He came to the Braves after being drafted by Detroit in 1985. He didn’t come to the Braves until 1987. He spent the last season of his career in 2009 playing for both the Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals.
John Smoltz’s pedigree includes eight All-Star Games, the 1996 National League Cy Young Award and 15 postseason wins, which are second most all-time behind the New York Yankees Andy Pettitte. He’s also the lone pitcher to record 200 wins and 150 saves lifetime, and his 199 career strikeouts in the playoffs are a record. John Smoltz’s final tallies with the Braves: 210-147, 3,011 strikeouts and a 3.26 ERA in 706 games, 466 starts.
