John Smoltz is the only pitcher in baseball history to tally 200 wins and 150 saves. AP

"I've left him alone this week," said Smoltz, one of Glavine's closest friends and golfing buddies who normally calls or text-messages Glavine weekly. "He's gotta be going through the most anxious time of his life; he wants to get it over with.

"We place so much importance on numbers. I don't know why," Smoltz said. "But it's an elite thing. I mean, 299, 301 -- what's the difference?"

The difference is, no pitcher has ever retired with 299 victories, and only 22 others have won 300 -- the most recent being Maddux, who claimed his 300th victory on Aug. 7, 2004. Even with numbers, however, there can often be qualifiers in sports.

"I liken it to [people who said], 'Dale Earnhart is the greatest racer, but he never won Daytona," Smoltz said. "There's always a 'but' in somebody's career. Glav's a Hall of Famer. He can win 300, 310. But some people might say [Atlanta won but one World Series]. I just think with Glav, it's what it's supposed to be. He's supposed to have 300 on his resume.

"To me, 300 was never gonna be an issue," Smoltz said. For a few reasons. "To be honest, the only reason I'm gonna remember my 200th [victory, in June] is because it was against Glav."

The ingredients for winning 300 games? "You've gotta be determined, have dedication," Smoltz said. "You've gotta stay healthy. He had every component. You can't be complacent. He's always prepared to win."

As for that now-gone prospect of three Atlanta 300 winners, Smoltz chose his words carefully. "A lot of things have to go right," he said. He paused. "I've gotta be careful." Another pause. "Wins don't always follow the way you pitch.

"I lost five years to a position change and injury," said Smoltz, who joins Dennis Eckersley as the only pitchers in major-league history with at least 150 saves and 190 victories. "I really only lost a year-and-a-half to injury."

Pete Van Wieren, a Braves broadcaster since 1976 and one of the most learned men in the game, said, "Tommy is the last of a breed. He had a misson his whole career. He never missed a start. Never complained. Just went out there every fifth day. When you're putting a team together, you want a guy like that on your side.

"I remember his first start, in Houston [Aug. 17, 1987]," Van Wieren said. "Russ Nixon was the manager then, and Tom was knocked out in the third or fourth inning. Afterward, Nixon was asked if he was getting another start. 'Of course he is,' Russ said. 'The last thing I'm worried about on this ballclub is Tom Glavine. He's gonna be fine. I've got a lot bigger problems on this ballclub.'

2 of 3