4. John Smoltz
41 G (27 GS), 15-4, 209 IP, 199 K’s, 4 SV
Yes, this a list of the best starting pitchers in postseason play, but Smoltz served as both a productive starter and reliever during his Hall Of Fame career.
For starters, Smoltz’s most memorable game was Game 7 of the 1991 NLCS in which he tossed a six-hit shutout with eight strikeouts against the Twins. He would get the call in Game 7 of that season’s World Series and lose at no fault of his own (7.1 IP, 0 ER, 4 K’S).
In the 1996 playoffs, he dialed it up against the Dodgers, Cardinals, and Yankees by maintaining an overall ERA of 0.95 in 38 innings.
Smoltz’s only loss came in Game 5 of the 1996 World Series which, again, came at no blunder of his own. The righty went eight strong innings while striking out ten against New York but his one unearned run handed him his exclusive loss of that year’s playoffs.
In two of his four career postseason losses, Smoltz allowed zero earned runs. So, his numbers don’t even do him justice here.
Some could even claim that if the ball just rolled his way once in a while, he’d be an undefeated playoff pitcher.
