2002_Atlanta_Braves_season
2002 Atlanta Braves season
Major League Baseball team season
The 2002 Atlanta Braves season marked the franchise's 37th season in Atlanta and 132nd overall. The Braves won their eighth consecutive division title, finishing 19 games ahead of the second-place Montreal Expos. The Braves lost the 2002 Divisional Series to the eventual NL Champion San Francisco Giants, 3 games to 2. This would be the first of four consecutive NLDS losses in as many years, and the first of three consecutive years to do so by losing the deciding Game 5 at Turner Field.
| 2002 Atlanta Braves | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National League East Champions | ||||
| League | National League | |||
| Division | East | |||
| Ballpark | Turner Field | |||
| City | Atlanta | |||
| Record | 101–59 (.631) | |||
| Divisional place | 1st | |||
| Owners | AOL Time Warner | |||
| General managers | John Schuerholz | |||
| Managers | Bobby Cox | |||
| Television | TBS Superstation Turner South (Pete Van Wieren, Skip Caray, Don Sutton, Joe Simpson) Fox Sports South (Tom Paciorek, Bob Rathbun) | |||
| Radio | WSB (AM) (Pete Van Wieren, Skip Caray, Don Sutton, Joe Simpson) WWWE (Marcelo Godoy, Jose Manuel Flores) | |||
| ||||
2002 marked the final year that pitchers Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux and John Smoltz played on the same team ending the reign of what has been considered by many the greatest pitching trio of all-time. All three would be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame a decade later. Smoltz set the Braves' single season record for saves (55). Chipper Jones moved to the outfield in left field to allow for Vinny Castilla to be signed and added to the lineup at third base. Julio Franco became a regular player in the second stint of his Major League career and Gary Sheffield was acquired to the Braves in 2002, playing at right field.
- October 26, 2001: Aaron Small was signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Braves.[1]
- December 4, 2001: John Smoltz was re-signed from free agency back to the Atlanta Braves.[2]
- December 11, 2001: Vinny Castilla signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Braves.[3]
- December 17, 2001: Julio Franco was re-signed from free agency back to the Atlanta Braves.[4]
- January 15, 2002: Gary Sheffield was traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Atlanta Braves for Andrew Brown, Brian Jordan and Odalis Pérez.[5]
- January 16, 2002: Doug Linton was signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Braves.[6]
- March 20, 2002: Henry Blanco was traded by the Milwaukee Brewers to the Atlanta Braves for Paul Bako and Jose Cabrera.[7]
Opening Day starters
Season standings
National League East
| NL East | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Braves | 101 | 59 | 0.631 | — | 52–28 | 49–31 |
| Montreal Expos | 83 | 79 | 0.512 | 19 | 49–32 | 34–47 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 80 | 81 | 0.497 | 21½ | 40–40 | 40–41 |
| Florida Marlins | 79 | 83 | 0.488 | 23 | 46–35 | 33–48 |
| New York Mets | 75 | 86 | 0.466 | 26½ | 38–43 | 37–43 |
Record vs. opponents
Source: | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | AZ | ATL | CHC | CIN | COL | FLA | HOU | LA | MIL | MTL | NYM | PHI | PIT | SD | SF | STL | AL |
| Arizona | — | 3–3 | 4–2 | 6–0 | 14–5 | 5–1 | 3–3 | 9–10 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 5–2 | 4–3 | 4–2 | 12–7 | 8–11 | 2–4 | 11–7 |
| Atlanta | 3–3 | — | 4–2 | 4–2 | 4–3 | 11–8 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 5–1 | 13–6 | 12–7 | 11–7 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 5–1 | 15–3 |
| Chicago | 2–4 | 2–4 | — | 5–12 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 8–11 | 2–4 | 7–10 | 3–3 | 1–5 | 2–4 | 10–9 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 6–12 | 6–6 |
| Cincinnati | 0–6 | 2–4 | 12–5 | — | 3–3 | 5–1 | 6–11 | 4–2 | 13–6 | 1–5 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 11–7 | 5–1 | 2–4 | 8–11 | 2–10 |
| Colorado | 5–14 | 3–4 | 2–4 | 3–3 | — | 5–2 | 3–3 | 7–12 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 11–8 | 8–12 | 2–4 | 7–11 |
| Florida | 1–5 | 8–11 | 2–4 | 1–5 | 2–5 | — | 3–3 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 10–9 | 8–11 | 10–9 | 4–2 | 5–1 | 4–3 | 4–2 | 10–8 |
| Houston | 3–3 | 3–3 | 11–8 | 11–6 | 3–3 | 3–3 | — | 3–3 | 10–8 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 11–6 | 4–2 | 1–5 | 6–13 | 5–7 |
| Los Angeles | 10–9 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 2–4 | 12–7 | 3–3 | 3–3 | — | 5–1 | 5–2 | 4–2 | 4–3 | 4–2 | 10–9 | 8–11 | 2–4 | 12–6 |
| Milwaukee | 2–4 | 1–5 | 10–7 | 6–13 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 8–10 | 1–5 | — | 2–4 | 1–5 | 1–5 | 4–15 | 5–1 | 1–5 | 7–10 | 2–10 |
| Montreal | 2–4 | 6–13 | 3–3 | 5–1 | 2–4 | 9–10 | 3–3 | 2–5 | 4–2 | — | 11–8 | 11–8 | 3–3 | 3–4 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 12–6 |
| New York | 2–5 | 7–12 | 5–1 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 11–8 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 5–1 | 8–11 | — | 9–10 | 1–4 | 3–4 | 0–6 | 3–3 | 10–8 |
| Philadelphia | 3–4 | 7–11 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 9–10 | 3–3 | 3–4 | 5–1 | 8–11 | 10–9 | — | 2–4 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 10–8 |
| Pittsburgh | 2–4 | 3–3 | 9–10 | 7–11 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 6–11 | 2–4 | 15–4 | 3–3 | 4–1 | 4–2 | — | 2–4 | 2–4 | 6–11 | 3–9 |
| San Diego | 7–12 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 1–5 | 8–11 | 1–5 | 2–4 | 9–10 | 1–5 | 4–3 | 4–3 | 4–2 | 4–2 | — | 5–14 | 1–5 | 8–10 |
| San Francisco | 11–8 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 11–8 | 3–4 | 5–1 | 11–8 | 5–1 | 2–4 | 6–0 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 14–5 | — | 2–4 | 8–10 |
| St. Louis | 4–2 | 1–5 | 12–6 | 11–8 | 4–2 | 2–4 | 13–6 | 4–2 | 10–7 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 11–6 | 5–1 | 4–2 | — | 8–4 |
Transactions
Roster
| 2002 Atlanta Braves | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
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Outfielders
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Manager Coaches
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Batting
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Javy López | 109 | 347 | 81 | .233 | 11 | 52 |
| 1B | Julio Franco | 125 | 338 | 96 | .284 | 6 | 30 |
| 2B | Keith Lockhart | 128 | 296 | 64 | .216 | 5 | 32 |
| SS | Rafael Furcal | 154 | 636 | 175 | .275 | 8 | 47 |
| 3B | Vinny Castilla | 143 | 543 | 126 | .232 | 12 | 61 |
| LF | Chipper Jones | 158 | 548 | 179 | .327 | 26 | 100 |
| CF | Andruw Jones | 154 | 560 | 148 | .264 | 35 | 94 |
| RF | Gary Sheffield | 135 | 492 | 151 | .307 | 25 | 84 |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Blanco | 81 | 221 | 45 | .204 | 6 | 22 |
| Marcus Giles | 68 | 213 | 49 | .230 | 8 | 23 |
| Darren Bragg | 109 | 212 | 57 | .269 | 3 | 15 |
| Mark DeRosa | 72 | 212 | 63 | .297 | 5 | 23 |
| Wes Helms | 85 | 210 | 51 | .243 | 6 | 22 |
| Matt Franco | 81 | 205 | 65 | .317 | 6 | 30 |
| B.J. Surhoff | 25 | 75 | 22 | .293 | 0 | 9 |
| Jesse Garcia | 39 | 61 | 12 | .197 | 0 | 5 |
| Steve Torrealba | 13 | 17 | 1 | .059 | 0 | 1 |
| Ryan Langerhans | 1 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
Pitching
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Glavine | 36 | 224.2 | 18 | 11 | 2.96 | 127 |
| Kevin Millwood | 35 | 217.0 | 18 | 8 | 3.24 | 178 |
| Greg Maddux | 34 | 199.1 | 16 | 6 | 2.62 | 118 |
| Damian Moss | 33 | 179.0 | 12 | 6 | 3.42 | 111 |
| Jason Marquis | 22 | 114.1 | 8 | 9 | 5.04 | 84 |
| Jung Bong | 1 | 6.0 | 0 | 1 | 7.50 | 4 |
| John Ennis | 1 | 4.0 | 0 | 0 | 4.50 | 1 |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Smoltz | 75 | 3 | 2 | 55 | 3.25 | 85 |
| Mike Remlinger | 73 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1.99 | 69 |
| Chris Hammond | 63 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0.95 | 63 |
| Kevin Gryboski | 57 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3.48 | 33 |
| Darren Holmes | 55 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1.81 | 47 |
| Kerry Ligtenberg | 52 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2.97 | 51 |
| Tim Spooneybarger | 51 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2.63 | 33 |
| John Foster | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10.80 | 6 |
| Trey Hodges | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5.40 | 6 |
| Andy Pratt | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.75 | 1 |
| Joey Dawley | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 |
| Aaron Small | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27.00 | 1 |
San Francisco Giants vs. Atlanta Braves
San Francisco (eventual NL Champion) wins the series, 3-2
| Game | Home | Score | Visitor | Score | Date | Stadium | Series |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atlanta | 5 | San Francisco | 8 | October 2 | Turner Field | 1-0 (SFO) |
| 2 | Atlanta | 7 | San Francisco | 3 | October 3 | Turner Field | 1-1 |
| 3 | San Francisco | 2 | Atlanta | 10 | October 5 | Pacific Bell Park | 2-1 (ATL) |
| 4 | San Francisco | 8 | Atlanta | 3 | October 6 | Pacific Bell Park | 2-2 |
| 5 | Atlanta | 1 | San Francisco | 3 | October 7 | Turner Field | 3-2 (SFO) |
2002 Major League Baseball season Braves' team pitching led the league with a 3.13 ERA. John Smoltz was National League Relief Man of the Year, as he led the league with 55 saves, which was a National League record at the time (since broken by Éric Gagné in 2003). Greg Maddux and Andruw Jones were chosen for Gold Glove awards.
2002 Major League Baseball All-Star Game Representing the Braves on the 2002 National League All-Star team were pitchers Tom Glavine, Mike Remlinger and John Smoltz. Andruw Jones was elected to receive the final roster spot on the 2002 National League All-Star team.
| Level | Team | League | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|
| AAA | Richmond Braves | International League | Fredi González |
| AA | Greenville Braves | Southern League | Brian Snitker |
| A | Myrtle Beach Pelicans | Carolina League | Randy Ingle |
| A | Macon Braves | South Atlantic League | Lynn Jones |
| Rookie | Danville Braves | Appalachian League | Ralph Henriquez |
| Rookie | GCL Braves | Gulf Coast League | Jim Saul |
- Julio Franco Statistics Baseball-Reference.com
- Jeff Francoeur Statistics Baseball-Reference.com
- Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3rd edition. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007
- Baseball America 2003 Annual Directory
- 2002 Atlanta Braves at Baseball Reference