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Atlanta Braves #A50 – Final Throwback Thursday Special; The Hurlers

By Dan Horton |
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Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

Your Turn!

It’s September, and the final installment of our Atlanta Braves, #A50 series is wrapping up. This is not going to be easy. There will be disappointments, I assure you. There will be controversy, I promise. There have been, obviously, too many pitchers to walk through the doors of Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium and Turner Field.

That being said, this is and has always been an opinion based piece. I’m trying to decide the best way to go about covering all the greats who have been handed the ball over the course of 50 years. This attempt may be futile, at best. However, hopefully the format in which I depict the greatest arms will be accepted with understanding and appreciation.

Of course, there’s always room in the comment section below to discuss further. As such, this post will be devoid of stats and the typical blurbs attached to the players.

Most of you know the numbers. I’m not going to insult your intelligence in that regard. I think the best way to cover the pitchers is to provide a list of names. A 20+ page slide show is, in my opinion, too overwhelming. Quite frankly, if I put myself in the place of the reader, I wouldn’t make it to page 10.

So, to stimulate some discussion, I will list (in no particular order) the top 2-dozen Braves starters and relievers, give or take a few. After that, I will let you, the loyal fan base of Tomahawk Take have at it to give your ranks in the comments.

Let’s get started …

Next: The Starters

Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

The Relievers

Away we go to the bullpen …

So yeah, this list is A LOT longer. Simply because more turnover is seen in the the relieving corps. This list also includes the closer roles. However, guys like Gene Garber, Steve Bedrosian, and John Smoltz are only on one of the two lists. I didn’t see the point of putting them in twice. We all know Smoltz closed for 3 seasons.

This isn’t a downplay of their roles as starters/relievers, but more of a space saver, especially for the reliever part of this. So let the controversy ensue.

I know I left people out that deserved to probably be here. I’m a product of my generation, unfortunately. Heavy emphasis appears in the 80’s, 90’s, and 2000’s. There are others out there that remember much farther back than I do. I’m always learning with this team and this game.

Next: Thank You

Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

One Last Thought

Thank You!

Thank you to you all who have read and enjoyed this series. Thank you for your kindness, understanding, and education. This has been a fun and very educational experience for me. Fifty years covers a lot of baseball.

I hope that I have sparked memories that may have been forgotten. Invoked thoughts of years past where the team may not have always been a big box office draw, but the love of the players made it worth your while.

I’m thankful for the opportunity to share in those memories with you. I’m proud to call myself an Atlanta Braves fan. I always will be; win, lose, or draw.

#ChopOnDamnIt for the #FrontOfTheJersey and always #LoveOurBraves!

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