Latest news with #Smoltz
Fox Sports
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
John Smoltz On Braves Past And Present, All-Star Fromat, Stars He'd Want to Face And More
ATLANTA — When the MLB All-Star Game takes place Tuesday in Atlanta, there will be two Braves stars playing, another who was voted in but unable to participate and a fourth in the booth. Five-time All-Star Ronald Acuña Jr. will start in left field and bat second. Three-time All-Star Matt Olson will be coming off the bench. Chris Sale was voted in for the ninth time in his career but won't play due to a fractured rib cage. And eight-time All-Star and Hall of Famer John Smoltz will be on the call. Smoltz, who played 20 seasons with the Braves and still calls Georgia home, will be calling his fourth straight All-Star Game alongside MLB on FOX play-by-play announcer Joe Davis. Ahead of the game, we caught up with Smoltz to chat about his star-studded 1990s teams, keeping in touch with his teammates, why he decided to stay in Georgia after his playing days, the current All-Star he'd like to face and the changes he thinks could enhance the game. How much are you able to keep in touch with your old Braves teammates from the '90s? Smoltz: Here and there with reunions and schedules being the way they are. I would say that the reunions and the alumni have done a great job keeping us together at certain events. I'd say it's been pretty good. Any reunion plans for the All-Star Game? Smoltz: Not that I know of, I'm just pretty busy with my stuff [calling the game]. Do you still live in Atlanta now? What's home for you? Smoltz: I'm about an hour from the stadium, in Northern Atlanta, in Alpharetta. About an hour from the airport and 55 minutes from the stadium. What's it like for you back in the city? Do any restaurants say 'this one's on us?' Do you feel like what you guys accomplished still resonates in the city? Smoltz: No, it's normal. Back in the playing days it might have been a little bit here and there. Every once in a while, I'll get a fan or somebody that wants to pick up a meal or pay for a drink, but I've been here 37 years now. So once you're acclimated in the community, you've got to be around the right-aged people. Anyone who's 27 and under probably doesn't know what I did. What made you decide to stay in Georgia? Smoltz: Well, I spent 21 years playing here, raised a family here, all my kids were born here. So I just enjoy the weather and the amount of things to do, especially golf. I felt like this was the place to be. I really connected with some charities and some great organizations, and I feel like I'll be here the rest of my life. If you could describe your perfect day in Atlanta, what would it be? Smoltz: Like any other city, it'd be a day with no traffic. You know, Atlanta has a lot to offer. …I mean everyone's really polite and nice and loves the Braves. I like the seasonal changes. I like being hot. I don't care to be cold ever again. But you get everything. You get a little bit of everything. I don't go into the city hardly at all. I'm in the country. So I'm enjoying, kind of, living out in the boonies and out by my golf course and seeing my grandkids and just enjoying being here. Are there a lot of you guys from those '90s teams still in the area? Smoltz: Atlanta has been a home for a lot of athletes in a lot of different sports. I'd say off the top of my head seven to nine of my teammates are still here. A lot of them have chosen to make this a home. So, I was told a long time ago to not live where you play, but live where you want to live — not necessarily buy a home where you're playing your baseball. With that, I chose to live here. Luckily, I didn't have to go to another team but just once — well, one year. For the most part, I've been pretty spoiled in having the consistency of where I live, what my route is and what I've gotten to enjoy to do. If prime John Smoltz had the chance to get back on the mound and face one player in the All-Star Game, who would it be, why and how would you attack? Smoltz: Well, I would love to face Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, two of the best. Aaron Judge today, is much different than Aaron Judge about two years ago. So I would have my hands full. The things that I would get him to chase two years go, he won't be chasing now. That's what makes him elite. So, it would be a great challenge. I would love to look at the strike zone with him, but that doesn't mean you're going to have success. And then with Ohtani, the challenge of keeping him off base, not letting him steal and then of course keeping the ball in the yard. Right now, average wise, a little bit different than what Aaron Judge is, but he's got such a unique toolset that I would have to make him chase some pitches, I would have to get him to chase some splits and try to tie him up inside somehow. But you leave anything out over the plate, he could go to every area of the ballpark. We've seen some players, especially pitchers, bowing out of the competition after pitching late in the week. Is there any way you would want to combat that or is it just part of the deal? Anything you'd want to change? Smoltz: Oh, there's a lot of things I'd like to change. But the simplest thing, I'd like to see the All-Star break be a little longer and reward these guys with a little more of a break. I think it's something they can do, and it would enhance the participation rate. With the injury rate at an all-time high and all the concerns — and some are legit and some are not — we've bought into a lot of different philosophies that I just don't adhere to, and it is affecting the All-Star Game. Like it or not, it's the truth, and guys are looking out for their own interests, rightfully so, if they're concerned about injuries. It's not the same kind of game. So, I think a couple things you could do is you could move the All-Star Game to Wednesday. I've always believed and I've always said the game should be shut down for a week. It should own the week. Personally, I think, the Hall of Fame should be on the weekend of the week off so if current players wanted to watch or go, they could. But that's a whole 'nother subject. I think we could move the game to a World vs USA game. If that ever happens — and I know the reason why it hasn't, because of the World Baseball Classic — you'd get more people opting in instead of opting out representing their country. It was a rocky first half for the host Braves. Do you think they have a chance to right the ship, or is this a lost season with the pitching injuries? Smoltz: Well, they've pulled off miracles in the past. This truly would be an unbelievable miracle if they're able to come back. The pitching injuries are just too significant. The offense is too inconsistent right now to cover their inability to keep other teams from scoring. So, it's too bad — high expectations, All-Star Game — all the things that could go wrong for the Braves have gone wrong. Other teams face the same things. They've had their years where they didn't think there was a chance and then they pull it out with different guys, but with the strength of the Phillies and the Mets and the balance of the National League, I wouldn't say it's impossible but it would be an incredible comeback if they were to pull off something like this, even greater than when they chased down the Mets. That was a daunting task. This would be even bigger. Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner . recommended Item 1 of 3 Get more from the Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Fox Sports
14-07-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Smoltz: If Shohei Ohtani Only Pitched, 'He'd be the Best Pitcher in Baseball'
John Smoltz knows pitching. He's in the Baseball Hall of Fame for making a career out of it as both a starter and a closer, and the FOX Sports' analyst made it clear how he feels about the talent of Shohei Ohtani when he's on the mound. "If all he did was pitch, he'd be the best pitcher in baseball." Smoltz was speaking to a panel of FOX Sports' analysts previewing Tuesday's 2025 MLB All-Star Game, when fellow Cooperstown inductee David Ortiz asked him about the chances of Ohtani pitching in this year's game. Smoltz does not believe he will, not while he's still ramping his way back up to his full workload following a second Tommy John surgery, but made sure to say that future All-Star games as a pitcher were a lock for Ohtani. "Shohei Ohtani is…I can't say enough, there's no words to describe it," Smoltz told the panel. "I said this three years ago, and people thought I'd lost my mind. It's a hypothetical, but if he never hits, and he pitches one year and all he does is pitch, he'd be the best pitcher in baseball. Without a doubt, I don't have any reservations, I don't have any what ifs." To back up Smoltz's assertion here, we have Ohtani's career where he's worked exclusively as a hitter. The 2024 season saw Ohtani, who did not pitch at all due to the aforementioned Tommy John procedure at the end of 2023, go on to hit an NL-leading 54 home runs – a career-high – while stealing 59 bases. Ohtani led the majors in total bases with 411, produced over nine wins above replacement exclusively as a hitter and led the NL in on-base percentage (.390), slugging (.646), OPS (.988) and OPS+ (174), too. Smoltz is simply applying the same reasoning in the other direction: Ohtani's skill is such that, given the opportunity to do just one thing instead of two, he becomes the greatest around at that one thing. "If all he did was pitch, which he'll never do, he'd be the best pitcher in baseball," Smoltz continued. "That just tells you what you need to know about his athleticism, how good of a feel he has, and he can not only hit, but he can pitch." As Smoltz said, it's unlikely that we'll ever get to find out if it's true. But given what we do know about Ohtani, it follows some clearly defined logic. Luckily, we get to watch him do both, and don't have to choose either way – he might be the best in the game if he did one thing, but there's nothing wrong with being one of the best at multiple things, either. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account , and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience Shohei Ohtani Los Angeles Dodgers Major League Baseball recommended Item 1 of 3 Get more from the Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic
Fox Sports
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Former NHL player Joe Pavelski wins the American Century celebrity golf event
Associated Press SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Nev. (AP) — Former NHL player Joe Pavelski won the American Century Championship on Sunday at Edgewood Tahoe, closing with an eagle to beat former pitcher John Smoltz by nine points in a wire-to-wire victory in the celebrity event. Pavelski had a 29-point round under the modified Stableford scoring system to finish with 73. He was second last year behind former tennis player Mardy Fish. 'I don't know what to say, actually,' said Pavelski, who turned 41 on Friday. 'But just an amazing week. This place is incredible. It means the world to me.' Pavelski earned $150,000 from the $750,000 purse. Smoltz had a 28-point round. 'I was trying to put heat on anybody, the top three,' Smoltz said. 'I was just trying to climb as many people as I could.' Country star Jake Owen was third at 62 after a 21-point day. Taylor Twellman, the former soccer player who shared the second-round lead with Pavelski, was fourth at 61. He had 17 points in the final round. NBA star Stephen Curry, the 2023 winner, was fifth at 58 after a 23-point round. Charles Barkley was 69th in the 90-player field at minus-17 points. ___ AP golf: in this topic
Winnipeg Free Press
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Former NHL player Joe Pavelski wins the American Century celebrity golf event
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Nev. (AP) — Former NHL player Joe Pavelski won the American Century Championship on Sunday at Edgewood Tahoe, closing with an eagle to beat former pitcher John Smoltz by nine points in a wire-to-wire victory in the celebrity event. Pavelski had a 29-point round under the modified Stableford scoring system to finish with 73. He was second last year behind former tennis player Mardy Fish. 'I don't know what to say, actually,' said Pavelski, who turned 41 on Friday. 'But just an amazing week. This place is incredible. It means the world to me.' Pavelski earned $150,000 from the $750,000 purse. Smoltz had a 28-point round. 'I was trying to put heat on anybody, the top three,' Smoltz said. 'I was just trying to climb as many people as I could.' Country star Jake Owen was third at 62 after a 21-point day. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Taylor Twellman, the former soccer player who shared the second-round lead with Pavelski, was fourth at 61. He had 17 points in the final round. NBA star Stephen Curry, the 2023 winner, was fifth at 58 after a 23-point round. Charles Barkley was 69th in the 90-player field at minus-17 points. ___ AP golf:
San Francisco Chronicle
13-07-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Former NHL player Joe Pavelski wins the American Century celebrity golf event
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Nev. (AP) — Former NHL player Joe Pavelski won the American Century Championship on Sunday at Edgewood Tahoe, closing with an eagle to beat former pitcher John Smoltz by nine points in a wire-to-wire victory in the celebrity event. Pavelski had a 29-point round under the modified Stableford scoring system to finish with 73. He was second last year behind former tennis player Mardy Fish. 'I don't know what to say, actually,' said Pavelski, who turned 41 on Friday. 'But just an amazing week. This place is incredible. It means the world to me.' Pavelski earned $150,000 from the $750,000 purse. Smoltz had a 28-point round. 'I was trying to put heat on anybody, the top three,' Smoltz said. 'I was just trying to climb as many people as I could.' Country star Jake Owen was third at 62 after a 21-point day. Taylor Twellman, the former soccer player who shared the second-round lead with Pavelski, was fourth at 61. He had 17 points in the final round. NBA star Stephen Curry, the 2023 winner, was fifth at 58 after a 23-point round. Charles Barkley was 69th in the 90-player field at minus-17 points. ___
