MLB Playoffs: The Biggest Heroes of the Last 20 Years

Tom Glavine

Tom Glavine made 35 postseason starts, and that is a startling number that places him in a three-way tie with Greg Maddux and Roger Clemens (pretty strong company) for third-most in MLB history. In those outings, he was very, very good, posting a 3.30 ERA across 12 seasons, but in 1995, he was the single biggest reason that the Atlanta Braves won their only World Series throughout their historic multi-decade run.

The crafty left-hander was superhuman throughout the 1995 playoffs, making four starts and producing a 1.61 ERA (in the midst of the steroid era) over 28 innings of work. However, Glavine’s most significant contribution came in Game 6 of the World Series, when he utterly silenced a robust lineup from the Cleveland Indians during eight innings of one-hit, shutout ball. Only the presence of once-dominant closer Mark Wohlers kept Glavine from a complete game shutout in a clinching World Series game, and it is impossible to forget just how electric he was on that particular evening.

Glavine is often the “forgotten man” among Atlanta Braves starters, but the left-hander was a first-ballot Hall of Fame selection for a reason, and his playoff exploits are undeniable, especially in the form of the 1995 World Series.