The Final Word on Glavine and the Ghost

 Glavine and Spahn Trade Off Stats as the Great Ghost Chase Comes to an End

Last year, in an Amazine article, I lamented for the lost Tommy Glavine, that he was only 17 strikeouts short of Warren Spahn's lifetime strikeout total. When I heard Glavine had defected to the Confederates of Atlanta after throwing a torch bomb on the final day of the 2007 season to defeat his own Mets army yelling "Semper Tyrranis!" thereby avenging the capture of Jefferson Davis and the scourge of Sherman's March through Atlanta in 64, I was not quite so sorry for him.

In any case, I wanted to follow up on that incomplete story, and update it now that both Glavine and Spahnny are out of baseball. Of course Glavine added 17 and more strikeouts this year without much trouble, but had such a bad year before claiming to be disabled veteran, that he lost his lifetime lead over Spahn in the ERA category.  We shall find time in our busy cheering schedules to lament for him after the Mets win the NL Eastern Division this year.

Here is the final statistical comparison of Glavine and Spahn. These stats should not change, unless Glavine returns to the majors or Spahn crawls from out of his grave and slouches off towards Turner Field to rise again, both scenarios somewhat unlikely.

Glavine pitched 22 years, Spahn 21.

Glavine had 2607 lifetime strikeouts, Spahn had 2583.

Glavine had 305 wins, Spahn had 363, but Glavine had only 203 losses to Spahn's 245

Glavine gave up 1734 earned runs, Spahn gave up 1798

Glavine gave up only 4298 hits, Spahn gave up 4830

Glavine raised his lifetime ERA to 3.54 that final year, Spahn's was 3.09.

Glavine gave up 1500 walks, Spahn gave up 1434

Glavine gave up only 356 homers lifetime, Spahn gave up 434.

Spahn was way ahead of Glavine in complete games (382 to 56) and shutouts (63 to 25), but that was a different era. Glavine pitched 4413.3 innings while Spahn pitched 5243.

Confidentially, (only to you and the thousand or so other who read this online) I am glad that Glavine found a way to pass Spahn  in lifetime strikeouts, but Glavine also blew out his lifetime ERA, and that is just as important. Quite a tradeoff, I'd say.

  Note the amazing resemblance between Tom Glavine (upper left) and William Tecumseh Sherman (right).

Is it true that Tom Glavine is the reincarnation of General Sherman, doomed to bring revenge upon the Union in the form of the New York Mets in recompense for his dirty deeds while burning Atlanta at the end of the Civil War? Only your Elvis channeler and the ghost of Warren Spahn know for sure.

OTHER STRIKE OUT NEWS

Bulletin!  Earlier this season, down in Atlanta, Glavine passed  Jerry Koosman (2556) Bob Feller (2581) and Warren Spahn (2583) to earn spot number 24 on the all time strikeout list with 2607,  but fell only 3 strikeouts short of Chuck Finley (2610) who is number 23 on that same said list.

Pedro Martinez is having a good year in the strikeout category; he and Curt Schilling and John Smoltz, all members of the 3,000 K frequent fireball club are running in a pack at 14, 15, and 16^th on the all time list. Smoltz has 3,011 Ks,  while Pedro (3085) is 31^st on the list at Cooperstown behind Schilling (3116) who is himself one strikeout away from tying the great Bob Gibson in strikeouts. It is very possible that Pedro and Curt will pass Gibson by the end of the year, especially in a pennant race (and Smoltz the following year, which would be his 20^th if he stays healthy). 

Pedro Martinez' lifetime ERA, by the way, was not much damaged last season when he pitched seldom but badly. His lifetime ERA is still a cool 2.86, same as Tom Seaver, and better than Bob Gibson (2.91). In the heat of a pennant race, will Pedro's ERA dip down some more?  Could he best Sandy Koufax (2.76) or even touch the hem of Cy Young's garment, whose lifetime ERA was 2.63?  Wait and see!