Watching John Smoltz throttle the San Francisco Giants was like dancing back through time, experiencing a memory revival of yet another brilliant performance by the Braves? right-hander. The only peculiarity of notice was the irregular fit of his uniform. Age tends to rearrange things a little. Pitching eight incredibly efficient innings, he steered Atlanta to a 4-1 win, and provided a smart recovery from the previous night?s loss. He struck out seven, while not walking anyone. Only two men got as far as second base. ?I wanted to pick the team up. When you're playing teams that are struggling, it's important to squash them as soon as possible after losing to them.? Well, the Giants are struggling, and they definitely got squashed. But it had been quite some time. Not since April 26 of 1996, to be exact. That was his last victory over the Giants, and his career record against them is only 11-14. In fact, this is the team that he has had the most trouble with during his illustrious career. He had not started against them since 1999. ?I knew it had been a while; I was thinking back to Candlestick,? said Smoltz. ?With no Barry they are a different ballclub, but it still feels good.? Not to the squashed Giants. Smoltz (11-5) has now won seven straight, with a 1.86 ERA in his past eight starts, and sports a seasonal ERA of 2.64. He zipped by Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson to move into 26th place on the all-time strikeout list with 2,508. He can still ring 95 on the gun. The five-time All-Star has allowed more than three runs just once during this streak, and has given up less than six in 20 of his 21 starts this year. He appears to have gotten his groove on. John was born in Warren, a Detroit suburb, and graduated from Lansing Waverly High School. He was drafted by the Tigers in the 22nd round of the 1985 draft, then dealt two years later for Doyle Alexander. He became firmly anchored as part of that dynamic Braves? trio with Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine. Those guys are gone. He?s not. Smoltz has a career 174-126 record and 154 saves, joining Dennis Eckersley as the only other player in history with at least 150 victories and 150 saves. He won the National League Cy Young award in 1996 with a record of 24-8, an ERA of 2.94, and 276 strikeouts. He also has 14 playoff wins and 189 strikeouts, which are major league records. Not one to shy away from pressure. To have returned to prominence as a starter after three exceptional years as a closer is nothing short of amazing. In 2002, he racked up 55 saves and had an ERA of 3.25. Why would you want to mess with that? Please tell us, so we can explain it to our kids. Could be because Smoltz is no ordinary 38 year-old pitcher, and he never had any doubts that he would make the transition back to a starter. And of course, excel at it. ?You guys are the ones who have made this a big deal,? he cried to the media early in the season. ?I've never had any doubts. It's not like I haven't done this before.? Yeah John, but? but? most pitchers don?t do this kinda thing. Ya know? Suddenly we have an unexpected candidate for the most prestigious pitching award in baseball. And it?s not some young hotshot, or some guy having his elusive career year. It?s another elder, like that geezer over in Houston. What was his name again? That?s right. Crocket, or something. Just when everybody had their gaze fixed on people like Clemens, Carpenter, Willis, Morris and Pedro, along tiptoes this Smoltz character into the bunch. Liv?n has been blubbering about surgery, so maybe he?s out. Whatever. The pleasure of seeing one of the great ones return is what this is all about. Can he sustain his marvelous run for a few more months? ?When I made this move back (to the rotation), this was the kind of guy I thought I could be,? Smoltz quipped. We believe you now, John. We really do.