Atlanta Braves Opening Day Countdown: the 70s

74. Rocker’s 1999 games

After the 1999 season, John Rocker would give a Sports Illustrated interview that would essentially derail his career, but in 1999, he led an excellent Braves bullpen in nearly every statistical category, saving 38 games, pitching 74 games, tossing 72 1/3 innings, with a 2.49 ERA, and a 37/104 BB/K.

73. Remmy’s games in the amazing 2002 bullpen

Originally a first-round pick back in 1987, Mike Remlinger had some tread on his tires and had been part of trades for some big names over his career already before he was traded before the 1999 season to the Braves along with Bret Boone in the deal that sent Denny Neagle and Michael Tucker to Cincinnati.

In his first season with the Braves, Remlinger won 10 games out of the bullpen and finished with a 2.37 ERA. That would set up his brilliant Braves career that spanned 5 seasons, lasting 327 games and 321 2/3 innings. He would post a 2.74 ERA over that time and strike out better than a batter per inning.

In 2002, Remlinger had his best year as a Braves. The issue is that most missed it because that 2002 bullpen was absolutely incredible. While Remlinger put up a 1.99 ERA over his 73 games, fellow lefty Chris Hammond sported an incredible 0.95 ERA over 63 appearances. John Smoltz saved 55 games in 2002, and three other relievers made at least 50 appearances with an ERA under 3.