The Braves inducted three individuals into their Hall of Fame on Saturday evening as part of the franchise’s alumni weekend: Joe Adcock (posthumously), Leo Mazzone and Joe Torre.
Mazzone was Bobby Cox’s acclaimed pitching coach, overseeing the Braves’ vaunted pitching during the greatest era in team history. Mazzone joined the organization in 1979 and served as the pitching coach from 1990-2005; he was the team’s pitching coach across the entirety of its 14-year run atop the division, which included a World Series title in 1995.
Speaking with media Saturday afternoon, Mazzone thanked the Braves organization and especially Cox, whom he calls “the greatest man I’ve met in my lifetime since my father.” He credited Cox for shifting the Braves’ philosophy to pitching, an emphasis that keyed their sustained success in the 90s and early 2000s.
“The Atlanta Braves provided me with 15 years of the greatest time of my life, and I consider this a tremendous, tremendous honor,” Mazzone said. Mazzone also praised current Braves manager Brian Snitker, whom he managed in 1978 with the Kinston Eagles of the Carolina League.
Torre played with the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves from 1960-68. The catcher hit the first homer in the history of Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Torre managed the franchise from 1982-84, overseeing the Braves’ first division title in 13 years during the 1982 campaign.
The Braves were the second of five managerial jobs for Torre, the most notable being his run with the Yankees (1996-2007) that produced four championships. Torre was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014.
“This is where my whole career started, with the Braves organization,” Torre said. “I signed a contract in 1959 and spent some time in Milwaukee and came here in ‘66. And it was just a treasure to spend eight years with Hank Aaron. To me, that was like going through school again and really coming out a whole lot smarter.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Adcock spent 10 of his 17 seasons with the Milwaukee Braves. The slugging first baseman hit .285/.343/.511 over that period, making him one of the most prolific offensive players in Braves history. He was an All-Star in 1960 and helped the Braves earn their only championship in Milwaukee in 1957. Adcock died in 1999 at age 71.
Despite the rainy conditions, the weather cleared up enough that Mazzone and Torre were inducted during a pregame on-field ceremony. Hall of Fame pitchers Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux and John Smoltz each recorded videos congratulating Mazzone that aired in the stadium during the event. The trio won six Cy Young awards in an eight-year stretch under Mazzone.
Mazzone and Torre threw out the first pitches before Saturday’s game. The Braves’ Hall of Fame now includes 38 individuals.
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