Top 10 moments of Glavine's career

ATLANTA -- When Tom Glavine was enshrined in Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 2014, he was three decades removed from the start of a career that significantly influenced the Braves' most successful era.

Glavine made his big league debut for the Braves in 1987, when the club was in the midst of seven straight losing seasons. Four years later, he won the first of two National League Cy Young Awards and the team captured the first of 14 consecutive division titles.

Though Glavine earned his 300th win while playing for the Mets, most of his greatest moments were spent with the Braves, who used him within their starting rotation from 1987-2002 and again in 2008.

Here is a look at Glavine’s top 10 career moments, as he celebrates his 56th birthday on Friday:

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1. Game 6

Glavine produced one of the most impressive starts in postseason history and gave the city of Atlanta its first major professional sports championship. The left-hander allowed just one hit over eight scoreless innings as the Braves won the 1995 World Series with a 1-0, Game 6 win over the Indians. Cleveland’s lineup featured Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez and Kenny Lofton. But Tony Pena’s soft single to begin the sixth accounted for the only damage Glavine incurred on this celebratory night.

2. 300th win

Glavine notched 244 of his 300 wins while playing for the Braves. But his greatest milestone victory was achieved when he helped the Mets beat the Cubs at Wrigley Field on Aug. 5, 2007. The southpaw allowed two earned runs over 6 1/3 innings and became just the fifth left-hander in MLB history to collect 300 wins. Fellow Hall of Fame southpaw Randy Johnson is the only other pitcher who has since reached this great milestone.

3. First Cy Young Award

Glavine showed some promise when he collected 14 wins for the 1989 Braves, who totaled just 63 victories on the season. But it’s safe to say he exceeded expectations when he went 20-11 with a 2.55 ERA and won his first NL Cy Young Award in 1991. His success fueled the Braves during the Worst-to-First Season that concluded with a World Series Game 7 loss to the Twins. Glavine finished second and third in Cy Young voting both of the next two years.

4. Second Cy Young Award

After Greg Maddux and John Smoltz accounted for each of the five NL Cy Young Awards presented from 1992-96, Pedro Martinez ended the Braves’ run on this honor by earning it in 1997. But Glavine brought the honor back to Atlanta when he went 20-6 with a 2.47 ERA in 1998. He posted a 1.06 ERA in five April starts and then also finished strong, producing a 1.64 ERA in five September starts.

5. First All-Star start

Glavine produced a 1.98 ERA through the first half of the 1991 season and drew the honor of being the NL’s starting pitcher during the All-Star Game in Toronto. He recorded three strikeouts over two scoreless innings against a starting lineup that included fellow Hall of Famers Rickey Henderson, Cal Ripken Jr., Wade Boggs and Ken Griffey Jr. Glavine also started the 1992 All-Star Game. But he didn’t gather many good memories while allowing nine hits and five runs over just 1 2/3 innings.

6. 1992 World Series

Glavine’s gem to end the 1995 World Series will forever be celebrated in Atlanta. But that wasn’t the only masterpiece he has constructed during a Fall Classic. The stoic competitor limited the Blue Jays to one run over eight innings as the Braves claimed a 3-1 win over the Blue Jays in Game 1 of the 1992 World Series. Glavine returned four days later and allowed two runs over eight innings. But his strong effort on short rest wasn’t enough to prevent the Blue Jays from claiming a 2-1 win in Game 4.

7. Near no-no

Glavine’s best bid for a no-hitter occurred as he helped the Mets beat the Rockies 4-0 on May 23, 2004 at Shea Stadium. The left-hander retired the first 18 batters faced and then pitched around a leadoff walk in the seventh. He got through Jeromy Burnitz and Matt Holliday to begin the eighth. But four outs away from a potential no-hitter, he surrendered a two-out double to Kit Pellow. Glavine finished his one-hit shutout by retiring each of the final four batters and a total of 27 of 29 on the day.

8. Only home run

Glavine is proud of his two Cy Young Awards, but he will also make sure you remember he won four Silver Slugger Awards. Still, he hit just one homer during his long career. After a throwing error by Chipper Jones in the first inning spotted the Reds a one-run lead on Aug. 10, 1995, Glavine hit a game-tying solo shot off John Smiley in the sixth. The opposite-field home run helped the Braves claim a 2-1 win.

9. First Win

Glavine allowed six runs in just 3 2/3 innings when he made his MLB debut in Houston on Aug. 17, 1987. But the 21-year-old hurler notched his first win when he made his first home start five days later. He limited the Pirates to three runs over 7 1/3 innings and benefited from an eight-run fifth. His 244 wins for the Braves ranks fourth in franchise history, trailing Warren Spahn (356), Kid Nichols (330) and Phil Niekro (268).

10. Game 7

After the Cardinals won three of the first four games of the 1996 NL Championship Series, the Braves won the next two games and gave Glavine the only Game 7 start of his career. The veteran scattered three hits over seven scoreless innings and capped a six-run first inning with a bases-clearing triple. The effort pushed the defending World Series champs into the Fall Classic for the fourth time in six years.