Sports
John Smoltz
born 1967 · baseball pitcher, broadcaster
Warren-born Hall of Fame pitcher, drafted by his boyhood Tigers, whose 1987 trade for Doyle Alexander is one of the most debated deals in Detroit history.
- Born
Warren, Michigan
age 59- Birth name
- John Andrew Smoltz
- Field
- Sports
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Smoltz was born in Warren, in Macomb County, and grew up in the Lansing area as a Tigers fan who idolized Jack Morris. Detroit drafted him in the 22nd round in 1985, and he chose a pro contract over a scholarship to Michigan State. Two years later, on August 12, 1987, the Tigers were locked in a pennant race and needed pitching, so they sent the 20-year-old prospect to the Atlanta Braves for 36-year-old Doyle Alexander. Alexander went 9–0 down the stretch and helped Detroit win the division, but Smoltz became a star: a Cy Young Award winner in 1996, a World Series champion in 1995 and the only pitcher with both 200 wins and 150 saves. In Game 7 of the 1991 World Series he faced his childhood hero Morris. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2015 and later became a national television analyst.
Highlights
- Born in Warren, Michigan; drafted by the Tigers in 1985
- Traded for Doyle Alexander on August 12, 1987
- 1996 National League Cy Young Award
- Only pitcher with 200 wins and 150 saves
- Elected to the Hall of Fame in 2015