Atlanta Braves to honor Tom Glavine with Braves Hall of Fame induction and number retirement on Aug. 6

The Atlanta Braves will pay tribute to their former pitcher Tom Glavine on Friday, August 6 by inducting him into the Braves Hall of Fame and retiring his uniform number. The induction will take place at a special luncheon and the uniform number retirement will occur in a pre-game ceremony that night before the Braves take on the San Francisco Giants.

"Tom has been, and continues to be, a very special part of the Atlanta Braves organization," said Atlanta Braves President John Schuerholz. "There's no greater honor than inducting him into our Hall of Fame and making sure his Braves uniform number 47 is retired and finds its rightful place alongside other great Braves Hall of Famers."

Glavine's number 47 will be the seventh Braves uniform number to be retired, joining Hank Aaron (44), Eddie Mathews (41), Dale Murphy (3), Phil Niekro (35), Warren Spahn (21) and Greg Maddux (31). The Braves also retired the number 42 along with all Major League Baseball teams to honor Jackie Robinson.

Glavine, who is currently a special assistant to team president John Schuerholz and is also a broadcaster on some Braves radio and TV broadcasts, spent 19 years in the Braves organization. He was drafted by the Braves in 1984 and was with the team through the 2002 season before he was signed as a free agent with the New York Mets. After five seasons with the Mets, Glavine returned to the Braves in 2008.

He ranks 21st on the Major League Baseball's career victory list, with 305, and he ranks fourth for most wins by a left-handed pitcher behind Warren Spahn, Steve Carlton and Eddie Plank. In 518 starts for the Braves, Glavine compiled a 244-147 record with a 3.41 ERA.

Glavine won the National League Cy Young Award in 1991 and again in 1998. In 1995 he was named the World Series MVP after going 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in the Braves' championship win over the Cleveland Indians.

He will join Hank Aaron, Bill Bartholomay, Lew Burdette, Skip Caray, Del Crandall, Ralph Garr, Tommy Holmes, Ernie Johnson, David Justice, Herman Long, Bill Lucas, Greg Maddux, Eddie Mathews, Dale Murphy, Kid Nichols, Phil Niekro, John Sain, Paul Snyder, Warren Spahn, Ted Turner, and Pete Van Wieren in the Braves Hall of Fame.

Tickets are available for the August 6 game at www.braves.com/tickets, the Braves ticket office at Turner Field, by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000, or at any Ticketmaster outlet.

The location for the Hall of Fame luncheon is still to be determined, but for information regarding tickets fans can call 404-614-2310.

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page
Follow us on Twitter:  @GAFrontPage

Braves release Tom Glavine

The Atlanta Braves announced June 3 that pitcher Tom Glavine has been released. Glavine, 43, underwent left elbow surgery on August 15, 2008 and signed a one-year contract with the Braves on February 20th for the 2009 season.

Following surgery late in the 2008 season, Glavine attempted to rehabilitate his surgically repaired left elbow during the offseason and followed that with four rehabilitation starts in 2009.

"We appreciate and respect everything Tom has done for and brought to the Atlanta Braves organization and our fans," said Executive Vice President and General Manager Frank Wren. "His accomplishments for our club during his hall of fame career is a measure of his dedication that we will always respect and admire. We wish him nothing but the very best."

A two-time National League Cy Young Award winner (1991 & 1998) and a 10-time N.L. All-Star, Glavine returned to the Braves in 2008 after pitching five seasons (2003-07) for the New York Mets. He went 2-4 with a 5.54 ERA and started just 13 games in an injury-shortened campaign in 2008. Glavine owns a 305-203 career record and a 3.54 ERA in 682 games (all starts). He has compiled 244 of his wins in a Braves uniform. Glavine helped Atlanta to five World Series appearances in the 1990s and was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1995 World Series, when the Braves defeated the Cleveland Indians.

A five-time 20-game winner, the 42-year-old Glavine joined an elite fraternity of pitchers when he posted the 300th victory of his career on August 5, 2007, at Chicago. Only 22 other pitchers in the history of Major League Baseball have reached that plateau, and all but two (Roger Clemens and Greg Maddux) are enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Glavine ranks as the fourth-winningest left-handed pitcher in history, behind Warren Spahn (363), Steve Carlton (329) and Eddie Plank (326).

Selected by the Braves in the second round of the 1984 draft, Glavine made his Major League debut in 1987. He won his first Cy Young Award in 1991, when he went 20-11 and helped the Braves win the first of five N.L. pennants in a nine-year period. Glavine earned his second Cy Young Award in 1998, leading the league with a 20-6 record, ranking third with a 2.47 ERA and again helping the Braves to an N.L. pennant.

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page

Braves and Pitcher Tom Glavine Agree to Terms on 2009 Contract

The Atlanta Braves announced Friday that they have agreed to terms with future Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Glavine on a one-year contract for the 2009 season. Financial terms of the deal were not announced. Glavine, who is still recovering from left elbow surgery, is expected to join the team at its spring training facility at Disney's Wide World of Sports in March.

A two-time National League Cy Young Award winner (1991 & 1998) and a 10-time N.L. All-Star, Glavine returned to the Braves in 2008 after pitching the previous five seasons for the New York Mets. He went 2-4 with a 5.54 ERA and started just 13 games in an injury-shortened campaign. In April he was placed on the disabled list for the first time in his illustrious career, and he made two more trips to the D.L. by season's end, ultimately opting to have surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon in his left elbow on August 21. The surgery was performed by Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala.

"We are very excited to have Tom back on our club for the 2009 season," Braves Executive Vice President and General Manager Frank Wren said. "We have followed his rehabilitation closely all winter and we are glad he is throwing so well. We hope he will be ready early in the season, and we expect him to be a big part of our pitching staff and a valuable leader on our club." Glavine owns a 305-203 career record and a 3.54 ERA in 682 games (all starts). He has compiled 244 of his wins in a Braves uniform. Glavine helped Atlanta to five World Series appearances in the 1990s and was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1995 World Series, when the Braves defeated the Cleveland Indians.

A five-time 20-game winner, the 42-year-old Glavine joined an elite fraternity of pitchers when he posted the 300th victory of his career on August 5, 2007, at Chicago. Only 22 other pitchers in the history of Major League Baseball have reached that plateau, and all but two (Roger Clemens and Greg Maddux) are enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Glavine ranks as the fourth-winningest left-handed pitcher in history, behind Warren Spahn (363), Steve Carlton (329) and Eddie Plank (326). Selected by the Braves in the second round of the 1984 draft, Glavine made his Major League debut in 1987. He won his first Cy Young Award in 1991, when he went 20-11 and helped the Braves win the first of five N.L. pennants in a nine-year period. Glavine earned his second Cy Young Award in 1998, leading the league with a 20-6 record, ranking third with a 2.47 ERA and again helping the Braves to an N.L. pennant.

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page