ATLANTA — When the MLB All-Star Game takes place Tuesday in Atlanta, there will be two Braves stars playing, another who was voted in but unable to participate and a fourth in the booth.
Five-time All-Star Ronald Acuña Jr. will start in left field and bat second. Three-time All-Star Matt Olson will be coming off the bench. Chris Sale was voted in for the ninth time in his career but won’t play due to a fractured rib cage.
And eight-time All-Star and Hall of Famer John Smoltz will be on the call.
Smoltz, who played 20 seasons with the Braves and still calls Georgia home, will be calling his fourth straight All-Star Game alongside MLB on FOX play-by-play announcer Joe Davis.
(Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images)
Ahead of the game, we caught up with Smoltz to chat about his star-studded 1990s teams, keeping in touch with his teammates, why he decided to stay in Georgia after his playing days, the current All-Star he’d like to face and the changes he thinks could enhance the game.
How much are you able to keep in touch with your old Braves teammates from the ‘90s?
Smoltz: Here and there with reunions and schedules being the way they are. I would say that the reunions and the alumni have done a great job keeping us together at certain events. I’d say it’s been pretty good.
Any reunion plans for the All-Star Game?
Smoltz: Not that I know of, I’m just pretty busy with my stuff [calling the game].
Do you still live in Atlanta now? What’s home for you?
Smoltz: I’m about an hour from the stadium, in Northern Atlanta, in Alpharetta. About an hour from the airport and 55 minutes from the stadium.
What’s it like for you back in the city? Do any restaurants say ‘this one’s on us?’ Do you feel like what you guys accomplished still resonates in the city?
Smoltz: No, it’s normal. Back in the playing days it might have been a little bit here and there. Every once in a while, I’ll get a fan or somebody that wants to pick up a meal or pay for a drink, but I’ve been here 37 years now. So once you’re acclimated in the community, you’ve got to be around the right-aged people. Anyone who’s 27 and under probably doesn’t know what I did.
(Photo by Sporting News via Getty Images via Getty Images)
What made you decide to stay in Georgia?
Smoltz: Well, I spent 21 years playing here, raised a family here, all my kids were born here. So I just enjoy the weather and the amount of things to do, especially golf. I felt like this was the place to be. I really connected with some charities and some great organizations, and I feel like I’ll be here the rest of my life.
If you could describe your perfect day in Atlanta, what would it be?
Smoltz: Like any other city, it’d be a day with no traffic. You know, Atlanta has a lot to offer. …I mean everyone’s really polite and nice and loves the Braves. I like the seasonal changes. I like being hot. I don’t care to be cold ever again. But you get everything. You get a little bit of everything. I don’t go into the city hardly at all. I’m in the country. So I’m enjoying, kind of, living out in the boonies and out by my golf course and seeing my grandkids and just enjoying being here.
Are there a lot of you guys from those ’90s teams still in the area?
Smoltz: Atlanta has been a home for a lot of athletes in a lot of different sports. I’d say off the top of my head seven to nine of my teammates are still here. A lot of them have chosen to make this a home. So, I was told a long time ago to not live where you play, but live where you want to live — not necessarily buy a home where you’re playing your baseball. With that, I chose to live here. Luckily, I didn’t have to go to another team but just once — well, one year. For the most part, I’ve been pretty spoiled in having the consistency of where I live, what my route is and what I’ve gotten to enjoy to do.
If prime John Smoltz had the chance to get back on the mound and face one player in the All-Star Game, who would it be, why and how would you attack?
Smoltz: Well, I would love to face Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, two of the best. Aaron Judge today, is much different than Aaron Judge about two years ago. So I would have my hands full. The things that I would get him to chase two years go, he won’t be chasing now. That’s what makes him elite. So, it would be a great challenge. I would love to look at the strike zone with him, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to have success.
And then with Ohtani, the challenge of keeping him off base, not letting him steal and then of course keeping the ball in the yard. Right now, average wise, a little bit different than what Aaron Judge is, but he’s got such a unique toolset that I would have to make him chase some pitches, I would have to get him to chase some splits and try to tie him up inside somehow. But you leave anything out over the plate, he could go to every area of the ballpark.
(Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
We’ve seen some players, especially pitchers, bowing out of the competition after pitching late in the week. Is there any way you would want to combat that or is it just part of the deal? Anything you’d want to change?
Smoltz: Oh, there’s a lot of things I’d like to change. But the simplest thing, I’d like to see the All-Star break be a little longer and reward these guys with a little more of a break. I think it’s something they can do, and it would enhance the participation rate. With the injury rate at an all-time high and all the concerns — and some are legit and some are not — we’ve bought into a lot of different philosophies that I just don’t adhere to, and it is affecting the All-Star Game. Like it or not, it’s the truth, and guys are looking out for their own interests, rightfully so, if they’re concerned about injuries. It’s not the same kind of game. So, I think a couple things you could do is you could move the All-Star Game to Wednesday.
I’ve always believed and I’ve always said the game should be shut down for a week. It should own the week. Personally, I think, the Hall of Fame should be on the weekend of the week off so if current players wanted to watch or go, they could. But that’s a whole ‘nother subject. I think we could move the game to a World vs USA game. If that ever happens — and I know the reason why it hasn’t, because of the World Baseball Classic — you’d get more people opting in instead of opting out representing their country.
It was a rocky first half for the host Braves. Do you think they have a chance to right the ship, or is this a lost season with the pitching injuries?
Smoltz: Well, they’ve pulled off miracles in the past. This truly would be an unbelievable miracle if they’re able to come back. The pitching injuries are just too significant. The offense is too inconsistent right now to cover their inability to keep other teams from scoring. So, it’s too bad — high expectations, All-Star Game — all the things that could go wrong for the Braves have gone wrong. Other teams face the same things. They’ve had their years where they didn’t think there was a chance and then they pull it out with different guys, but with the strength of the Phillies and the Mets and the balance of the National League, I wouldn’t say it’s impossible but it would be an incredible comeback if they were to pull off something like this, even greater than when they chased down the Mets. That was a daunting task. This would be even bigger.
Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.
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