The 1990s were quite a time for sports dynasties. There was Jimmy Johnson and the Triplets in Dallas, Scotty Bowman and his badass army of Russians in Detroit, and of course MJ’s six-championship run on the Bulls. Looking back on that decade, it might be easy to forget the legacy left behind by Atlanta’s unbelievable pitching rotation of John Smoltz, Greg Maddux, and Tom Glavine.
Glavine, Smoltz, and Maddux became known as The Big Three. Kind of a lame name. I mean yea, they were tall, but not really by professional athlete standards. The name kind of fit their profile though. A little low-key and unassuming but still powerful enough to have a name.
The Big Three put up some of the most impressive statistics in major league history. Like 14 consecutive seasons at the top of their division. They accounted for 7 of 8 Cy Young Awards between 1991-1998. Most importantly, they brought a championship to a city desperate for success. So if you look back on the 90s and forget about the Big Three, Atlanta never will.