ATLANTA -- The longtime manager and the longtime starting pitcher squared off in the dugout in the middle of the eighth inning, but the outcome of the debate was never in doubt.
Each side had a good case, though. Braves manager Bobby Cox didn't want to send John Smoltz out for the ninth inning, because Smoltz had already thrown 118 pitches. Smoltz, unfazed by his high pitch count, was in a groove, something Cox felt was an understatement.
"I told him, 'What groove? You're unhittable right now,'" Cox said.
The fact that Smoltz wasn't allowed to attempt Atlanta's first complete game of the season didn't diminish his performance. He struck out a season-high 12 and allowed just one hit after the third inning in the Braves' 6-2 win over the Diamondbacks on Sunday afternoon at Turner Field. Atlanta backed him with seven extra-base hits, including two home runs by Mark Teixeira.
Smoltz has battled elbow and back injuries for most of the season, and the triple-digit temperature outside wasn't doing him any favors.
"I didn't want to take a chance with him," Cox said. "We've come this far, fighting everything, and there was no sense. He would have started the inning with almost 120 pitches. Down the road, he may have to throw 135, we'll see. He knows me well enough that I'm not going to let him start an inning with 120 pitches."
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Smoltz, Teixeira drive important win
Smoltz, Teixeira drive important win
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