Athletes - Tom Glavine

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	Athletes - Tom Glavine

Thomas Michael Glavine (born March 25, 1966 in Concord, Massachusetts) is a Major League Baseball player for the New York Mets. During the 1990s Tom, a left-hander, was one of the winningest pitchers in the National League. He is a five-time 20-game winner and two-time Cy Young Award winner. He is also known as an excellent fielder and hitting pitcher.

Early life

Tom Glavine excelled in several sports during high school, including ice hockey and baseball, and was drafted by both the Los Angeles Kings in the 1984 NHL amateur draft (in the 4th round—five rounds ahead of future NHL star Luc Robitaille), and the Atlanta Braves Major League Baseball organization in the 2nd round of the 1984 amateur baseball draft. Tom elected to play baseball and made his Major League debut on August 17, 1987.

Glavine enjoyed good times and bad times during his first several years in the majors, compiling a 33-43 record from 1987 to 1990, including a 17-loss performance in 1988.

Professional baseball career

Glavine's fortunes turned around in 1991 when he won 20 games and posted a 2.55 ERA. It was his first of three consecutive 20 wins or more seasons and his first season to earn the National League Cy Young Award. Glavine was the ace on the 1991 starting rotation that also included Steve Avery, Charlie Leibrandt, and future fellow Cy Young winner, John Smoltz. Glavine's season also led a dramatic reversal in the Braves' competitive fortunes as they won the National League West Division and went to the World Series, only to lose to the Minnesota Twins.

Atlanta, long thought of as a perrenial cellar dweller, was lifted in the 1990s into one of the most successful franchises in the game on the strength of its stellar pitching staff and solid hitting. The trio of Glavine, John Smoltz and Greg Maddux, acquired in 1993, is considered by some to be one of, if not the best trio of pitchers ever assembled on one team. Between them, they won seven Cy Young Awards during the period of 1991 to 1998. Glavine won his second Cy Young Award in 1998.

In 1995, the Braves would defeat the Cleveland Indians in 6 games in the World Series, and Glavine would be named the MVP. Glavine won two games during that series: Game 2 and Game 6. In Game 6, he pitched eight innings of shut-out baseball; in fact, the only run in that game was a solo 6th inning home run by David Justice of the Braves.

In 2003, much to the chagrin of many Braves fans, Glavine left Atlanta to play for the rival New York Mets, signing a four-year, $42.5 million deal. For the first time since 1988, Glavine failed to win 10 games, also posting his first losing record in that span, 9-14. In 2004, he stumbled again with his 2nd straight losing record, going 11-14. Glavine's slump was partially blamed on the New York Mets' decline as a team since the 2002 season, resulting in poor run support that frequently deprived him of an otherwise easy win. His performance improved somewhat in 2005, going 13-13 with a 3.53 ERA. However, despite his mediocre performance with the Mets, his pre-2003 performance is more than enough to make him a virtual lock for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

As of 2005, Glavine's career win total stands at 275. As recently as 2002, he was considered a shoo-in to eventually achieve 300 career wins; now he will likely need to pitch at least two and perhaps three more seasons--into his early forties--to reach that mark.

Glavine won a championship with the Braves in 1995 but also lost four World Series (with the Braves in 1991, 1992, 1996 and 1999) which ties him with Smoltz and Roger Clemens for tops among active players.

Accomplishments

9-time All-Star (1991-93, 1996-98, 2000, 2002, 2004)
Twice National League Cy Young Award winner (1991, 1998)
Finished 10th in National League MVP voting (1992)
Finished 2nd in National League Cy Young award voting (1992, 2000)
Finished 3rd in National League Cy Young award voting (1993, 1995)
World Series MVP Award (1995)
5-time National League leader in wins (1991-93, 1998, 2000)
4-time Silver Slugger winner (1991, 1995-96, 1998)

Trivia

While he has a championship ring, Glavine has also been on the losing end of four World Series', which is tied with Roger Clemens and John Smoltz for most among active players.

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Athletes - Tom Glavine

Early life

Professional baseball career

Accomplishments

Trivia

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