Atlanta Braves Hall of Famer John Smoltz joined Dukes & Bell to talk about the Braves, what it takes to be a successful closer and can Will Smith get back to being a premier closer?
Smith saved 34 games in 2019 for the San Francisco Giants while striking out 96 batters in 65 1/3 innings. His ERA was 2.76 and he only walked 21 batters.
“The answer is yes he can, and I saw some flashes of his fastball starting to have that life, because if he can hit with his fastball his breaking pitches are so good that the hitters are really going to be in a defensive situation,” Smoltz said. “You really have to think you’re the baddest dude on the planet and you’re coming out there and there’s no chance they’re gonna score off of you.”
Smith has appeared in 20 games this season for the Braves with an ERA of 4.50, although that's severely elevated due to a 4 earned run outing on May 13 against the Blue Jays.
“I didn’t know a whole lot about the role, but I had 14 years in before I went to that role and I just knew that whatever happened I never wanted to blow two in a row," said Smoltz. "Because I felt if I never blew two in a row I was never going to get into that slump and you start feeling good about yourself. But when you go back to back and you mess up back to back you start questioning. There’s no worse feeling walking in the clubhouse after a game’s over and you’re the last man standing and your team lost, there’s just nothing worse about it.”
