When Braves star John Smoltz delivered a cinematic curveball in Netflix's true tale starring Dennis Quaid and Colin Ford
Former Braves star John Smoltz is one of the most well-known faces of MLB from the late '80s. His contribution to the game was immense and his accolades speak for the kind of player he was. Apart from his on-field presence, now he is known for being on-screen. The eight-time All-Star made a small cameo in Netflix's "The Hill."
Released on August 25, 2023, "The Hill" stars Colin Ford as Rickey Hill and Dennis Quaid as his father James. It is based on the real story of a young man who had successfully overcome the odds to become one of the top young baseball talents in the state of Texas.
Smoltz's appearance in the movie was short. His cameo was in the climax of the movie as he played the role of game commentator in the stadium in Brenham, Texas.
However, the Hall of Famer doesn't have any real connection with Ricky Hill's story, nor is he originally from Texas. He ended his playing career in 2009 and since 2016, he has been a professional commentator covering a few of the biggest events of the sport like All-Star games and the World Series.
A closer look at John Smoltz's MLB career
John Smoltz has been one the best pitchers of his time. He made his MLB debut for the Atlanta Braves in July 1988. He had a great first season with the side, making 29 starts and he recorded a 12-11 record. He had an ERA of 2.94 while pitching 208 innings. These numbers helped him get an NL All-Star game call-up in his very first year.
Although he was performing pretty well in his initial years for the Braves, he was spending a significant amount of time on their injured list. In 2000, he had Tommy John surgery and missed the whole season. Following his return in 2001, he was less effective as a starter and thus shifted to the bullpen as the side's closer.
In his first full season as a closer in 2002, Smoltz made a new NL record with 55 saves. However, after a couple of years serving as a closer, Smoltz again returned to the rotation in 2005. He ended that season with 14–7, with a 3.06 ERA and 169 strikeouts and allowed less than one hit per inning.
In December 2008, the legendary pitcher moved to Boston Red Sox. However, after a bad start for the new team in July 2009, Smoltz was DFA in August and parted ways shortly in that same month.
The pitcher then joined the St. Louis Cardinals on August 19, 2009, but he was ineffective for them too. He only won a single game with the Cardinals that season which was against the Padres.
He retired from the game after playing his last match in September 2009. In his historic career, Smoltz had eight All Stra game call ups, won one World Series with the Braves in 1995 and was the NL Cy Young winner in 1996. He also won the Silver Slugger Award in 1997 and the Roberto Clemente Award.
In 2012, the Braves retired his jersey number 29 as a symbol of gratitude towards the pitcher and for his contribution to the side's history. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015 with an 82.9% vote in his year of eligibility.