On Monday, Bally Sports South announced that Baseball Hall of Famer John Smoltz would be joining the Atlanta Braves’ broadcast booth for a pair of series in the coming weeks.
Per Bally’s release, Smoltz, who is also Fox’s top national MLB analyst, will call the Yankees-Braves series in Atlanta from August 14-16 and the Braves-Phillies in Philadelphia from September 11-13. Brandon Gaudin will serve as the play-by-play broadcaster for both series, with Jeff Francoeur joining Gaudin and Smoltz for next week’s series with the Yankees.
Earlier this season, Smoltz appeared on a Bally Sports South Braves broadcast with Francoeur, Tom Glavine, and Chipper Jones. The June 8 broadcast for the Braves’ 13-10 walk-off win over the New York Mets averaged 120,000 viewers, which was then a season-high for Bally Sports South.
Glavine, Jones, and Smoltz’s long-time teammate Greg Maddux also called in during the game.
Smoltz was quite animated for Ozzie Albies’ tenth-inning walk-off homer.
🚨 OZZIE WALKS IT OFF 🚨 pic.twitter.com/FVHjYzf0ZZ
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) June 9, 2023
When calling Braves games locally on Bally Sports South, Smoltz seems like a completely different (for the better) broadcaster. The Gaudin/Francoeur pairing has received plenty of praise in their first season together, but adding Smoltz to the fray shouldn’t diminish that partnership too much. Smoltz doing more local work should be welcomed, and we’re hoping it goes well for these two series.
