Why this card is awesome: Because we're more than 98% of the way through this set but we've finally gotten there: what has proven to be the best rookie card from the 1988 Topps set. He's also one of the few players still active from the set, although there's some doubt as to whether he'll make it back next year. (The only other ones are, I believe, Greg Maddux and Jamie Moyer, although Barry Bonds is technically not retired.)
But, what's with those teeth?
Cool stat: Glavine has 5 20-win seasons, although his neutralized record is 285-208 with zero 20-win seasons. Interesting. It helps, of course, that he played for lots of great Braves and Mets teams. In the history of MLB, 23 pitchers have won 300+ games. Where do you think Glavine ranks among them, in terms of fewest walks. Given that he's got a great winning percentage and only just recently reached 300 wins, I thought he'd be pretty high on that list. Turns out he has the 6th-worst walk total, thanks in large part to the fact that there are so many more walks in the era he played in. Glavine, Clemens, and Maddux are the only 300 game winners to never record a save.
3 comments:
See, as someone who watched him regularly in the last few years, that doesn't shock me at all. In his prime, he didn't have great control, but had just enough to fool the best hitters.
Even though I am still annoyed at how awful he was after his 300th win, he is one of the best pitchers of this generation and i look forward to seeing him in the HOF.
Ha, the teeth are still what I most remember about this card.
He is certainly a Hall of Fame Pitcher, however it took him the better part of 5 years for him to build up enough good will with the Mets after killing them for so many years, and he undid every bit of it with his performance on September 30, 2007.
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