3,000

Uhh, no offense, but Glavine was definitely the ace of the 1991-94 Braves (Maddux didn't really take over as the Braves' No. 1 until after his '94 CYA season and that otherworldly '95 season, and even then, you could make a very, very strong case that neither of them was ever really the No. 2 when both were in Atlanta.)

 

I thought Maddux started opening day in 1994.

 

He did. http://www.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/atl/history/opening_day_lineups.jsp

But Bobby Cox has never been about making "statements" based on who he starts on Opening Day.

Glavine got the nod in '90, after a solid season in '89. Smoltz got the nod in '91, after a solid season in '90. ... Glavine got the nod in '92 and '99, the years after he won the CYA ... Maddux got it in '93-'96, the years after he won the CYA ... Smoltz got it in '97, the year after he won the CYA.

Then Maddux got it in '98, Glavine got it in '99, Maddux got it again in '00, Burkett got it in '01, Glavine got it in '02 and Maddux got it in '03.

(Although it should be noted that Glavine got the Opening Day nod three times with the Mets, '03, '04 and '06, fwiw. Maddux had another Opening Day start for the Cubs, in '92.)

Again, not really a statement of "ace" status for Cox, nor for the Braves.

 

OK, point remains the same.