For years, Tiger Woods wanted to put down the club and pick up a bat, change his golf spikes for baseball cleats and dig in the batter’s box against former Atlanta Braves star John Smoltz.
The Hall of Fame pitcher – winner of back-to-back celebrity division titles at the LPGA’s Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions – didn’t think it would ever happen. But it did, and Smoltz told the story on Wednesday afternoon during an interview on Golf Today with co-hosts Shane Bacon and Damon Hack.
“Everybody was gone from the park so I said, ‘Alright Tiger, you can come and take four swings or pretend like it’s in a game, I’m going to be throwing like it’s a game,'” said Smoltz, an eight-time All-Star and World Series champion in 1995.
“I think he got a little frustrated at the end when I was trying to lay it in there a couple times in his fourth at bat, but he declared himself 1-4 with a walk,” remembered Smoltz. “Brian McCann was a young catcher and afraid to call strikes, which I got mad at, but all in all it was a good time, it was fun, it was something we’ll be able to talk about for the rest of our lives.”
"Golf has been a savior." 💪
HOF @Braves pitcher @smoltz_john joins us on Golf Today to talk prep for his potential 3-peat at @diamondresorts. pic.twitter.com/0TgwGAQICz
— Golf Today (@GCGolfToday) January 13, 2021
