John Andrew Smoltz is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who spent 22 seasons in the league. From 1988 to 2009, John spent all but one of his 22 seasons with the Atlanta Braves.
According to John Smoltz, he left the Atlanta Braves because management took him for granted, which pushed him to accept a $5.5 million, one-year contract with the Boston Red Sox while recovering from major shoulder surgery.
He claimed that the offers from the Braves and Red Sox were “not even close,” and that the performance bonuses that pushed the potential value of Atlanta’s offer close to $10 million were “impossible” to achieve.
“I harbour no ill will or bitterness toward anyone,” he said. “I want the Braves to win the World Series, and right now I want them to play the Boston Red Sox, and then let fate take care of the rest.”
Smoltz, an eight-time All-Star, was part of a celebrated trio of starting pitchers, along with Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, who propelled Atlanta to perennial pennant contention in the 1990s, culminating in a World Series championship in 1995.
He won the National League (NL) Cy Young Award in 1996 after compiling a 24-8 record, the most wins by an NL pitcher since 1972.