Maddux, Glavine, Smoltz. Best three-man rotation ever?
Over the course of baseball history there have been many dominating pitching staffs which have baffled hitters across the league. Of all the great pitching staffs, the best top of the rotation starting pitchers may have been Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz, who played together for the Atlanta Braves for 10 consecutive years from 1993 through 2002.
During that time period all three of the pitchers were individually dominant. Over the 10 year period Maddux won 3 Cy Young awards and went to 7 all-star game, Glavine went to 7 all-star games and won one Cy Young award, and Smoltz went to 4 all-star games. Each of the pitchers was frequently among the league leaders in wins, strikeouts, and earned run average.
While all three of the pitchers experienced great personal success during their stints with the Braves, the team success that they had together playing for the Braves was far more impressive. During their 10 years playing together the Braves won 9 division titles, including 8 in a row between 1995 and 2002. The Braves also went to the World Series twice and won it in 1995, which was the franchise’s first World Series title in nearly 40 years.