Shaw Sport Turf partner John Smoltz inducted into Baseball HOF

Shaw Sports Turf partner and former Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on July 26.

Smoltz, best known as part of a dominating pitching rotation which included fellow Hall-of-Famers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, had a MLB career from 1988-2009. During his time in the MLB he primarily played for the Braves, but also had stints with the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals.

Smoltz amassed a record of 213-155, with 154 saves and 3.085 strikeouts. He was an eight-time All-Star and won the National League Cy Young award in 1996, with a record of 24–8. In 1995, Smoltz won a World Series with the Braves. His number, 29, is retired with the Braves.

As part of his focus on young athletes and the game of baseball, Smoltz worked closely with the research and development team at Shaw Sports Turf to develop the TruHop baseball system.

“Baseball is a purist’s game,” Smoltz says. “That’s why it’s so important for synthetic turf fields to look and play like natural grass fields. That’s why I worked with the R&D team at Shaw Sports Turf to develop the TruHop system.”

Smoltz ranked the TruHop system to a five-tool player in baseball, Shaw says in a news release. A five-tool player is one who can field, throw, run, hit for average and hit for power. In synthetic turf, a five-tool player is a field that has great aesthetics, is always available, provides performance and durability, allows reduced maintenance and is safe.

The TruHop system can be custom-designed for each individual client in order to accommodate desired performance characteristics.

“We’re proud of our association with John Smoltz,” says Chuck McClurg, vice president of sales at Shaw Sports Turf. “He is very deserving of his induction into the Hall of Fame. He brings the same focus and work ethic he had as a pitcher to his work with us in developing the best synthetic turf system for baseball.”