Glavine, Tom

Tom Glavine, byname of Thomas Michael Glavine, (born March 25, 1966, Concord, Massachusetts, U.S.), American professional baseball player. A dominant pitcher in the 1990s and early 2000s, he won two Cy Young Awards and was repeatedly named to the National League (NL) All-Star team.

Glavine grew up in Massachusetts and had a strong interest in hockey as well as in baseball. While a senior in high school, he was named the outstanding Boston-area high school hockey player. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL) and was also offered a hockey scholarship by the University of Lowell, in Massachusetts. In 1984 he was drafted by the Atlanta Braves of the NL, and, believing that a career in baseball would be longer than one in hockey, he chose baseball.

Glavine moved quickly through the minor leagues and made his major league debut with the Braves in 1987. He perfected his trademark circle changeup pitch during spring training in 1989, and by the end of that season he had his first winning record (14 victories and 8 losses). In 1991 Glavine finished the season with 20 wins and 11 losses as well as a 2.55 earned run average (ERA). He won both the Cy Young Award (for best pitcher) and the Silver Slugger Award (for best offensive player at a position). The following year he had an equally impressive record (20 wins and 8 losses, along with a 2.76 ERA).

In 1994 Glavine had a leadership role in a players’ strike when negotiations between owners and players broke down. Fans were angry at his role in the strike, which ended the season abruptly. They were appeased the following season, however, when Glavine led his team to a World Series victory over the Cleveland Indians and was named the series’ Most Valuable Player. He won a second Cy Young Award in 1998 after posting a career-best 2.47 ERA and leading the NL with 20 wins.

In 2002 he signed with the New York Mets. Although he was less dominant in New York than he had been in Atlanta, he nevertheless was selected to two All-Star teams while a member of the Mets (2004 and 2006), and in 2007 he became the fifth left-hander and 23rd pitcher in major league history to win 300 career games. He re-signed with the Braves after the 2007 baseball season, but the quality of his pitching continued to decline, and he was released in June 2009. In 2010 Glavine officially retired from baseball and accepted a front-office position with the Braves. He also worked for the team as a broadcaster. Glavine was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, in 2014.