By JOHN DENTON
Florida Today

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - John Smoltz remembers the four pitches in detail like they just left his hand minutes ago.

There was the high fastball that Scott Rolen belted for a home run in April. There were the two broken-bat bleeders that Montreal's Jose Vidro got off of him within a week in May. And then there was that third strike that wasn't called in Arizona, allowing Erubiel Durazo new life with which he smashed a game-winning double down the line.

In his first season as the Atlanta Braves' full-time closer, Smoltz had one of the finest seasons ever for a reliever in baseball history. He saved 55 games, falling just two saves short of the all-time major league record.

But this is the true beauty of Smoltz. To this day, he is still bothered by the four save opportunities he blew. Even when he should be filled with pride over the job he did, his soul is tortured just a bit by the slightest of imperfections.

"As hard as things were in that first month of the season for me, I was that close - four pitches - to being perfect for the season," he said.

Despite having incredible success last season, Smoltz is a reluctant reliever to this day. Because of his instant success, his cool under pressure and ability to get big strikeouts with runners on base, the Braves have no plans of moving Smoltz out of the bullpen any time soon. The way Smoltz figures, he's now a victim of his own success.

"After saving 55 games, I really don't have much choice now," he said, referring to his hopes of someday returning to the Braves starting rotation.

Smoltz is expected to make the trip to Viera, Fla., Tuesday when the Braves face the Montreal Expos at Space Coast Stadium in a 1:05 p.m. game. He'll likely pitch just one inning even though he fully knows he's capable of so much more. Seven years of topping 200 innings as a starter will do that to a workhorse of a pitcher. He might have had success last season, but he's still getting used to his one-inning bursts as a closer.

"They say you've got to be crazy to do this. Well, you don't have to be crazy, but it can drive you crazy, that's for sure," Smoltz said. "I'm learning to like it."

Smoltz is also learning to like the changes made to the Atlanta pitching staff in the offseason. Tom Glavine signed a free-agent deal with the New York Mets and Kevin Millwood and Damian Moss were traded in cost-cutting moves. Also, set-up relievers Chris Hammond and Mike Remlinger - big keys to Atlanta having the best bullpen ERA (2.60) in the majors last season - jumped at bigger free-agent offers.

All that movement led to the Braves acquiring lefty Mike Hampton and right-handed starters Russ Ortiz and Paul Byrd. Former closer Roberto Hernandez and hard-throwing lefty Ray King will be expected to fill the gaps in front of Smoltz.

"When you lose big names, people think everything is done, but that's not the case here," Smoltz said. "I think this rotation has more upside than last year's. People are going to have to get used to seeing younger guys and different guys stepping up."

With Glavine gone, Smoltz said he is doing more stepping up as a leader now. He dearly misses Glavine, one of his closest friends on the Braves for years. Now, he is the lone remaining player from Atlanta's 1991 team, the group that started the current streak of 11 consecutive division titles.

With so many new faces, the 35-year-old Smoltz calls himself "the last guy standing" now. That has meant taking on more of a vocal role and setting an example for the new players. After all, the Braves haven't been first or second in the National League each year of the past decade on reputation alone.

"John's such a competitor that when we do drills, he's always the first one through," said King, who was solid for Milwaukee the past three seasons. "He sets the tone for everybody.

"I'm so anxious to just talk to him about the way he attacks hitters and handles situations. I mean, he was a great starter for 10 years and now he's one of the best closers. I just want to be a sponge around him and soak in everything."

Smoltz has done a little bit of everything in Atlanta, ranging from the high of winning the Cy Young and the World Series in 1996 to the low of missing the entire 2000 season because of a ligament tear in his elbow. Last season, he joined Dennis Eckersley as the only pitchers in history to have both 20-win and 50-save seasons.

Part of the reason why Smoltz was so reluctant to move to the bullpen was because of the success he had through the years as a big-game pitcher in the playoffs. At 14-4, he is the winningest pitcher in postseason history. He pitched in relief in playoff losses the last two seasons, but felt his impact was far less than what it was when he was a dominant starter in the 1990s.

"You'll never hear me say anything cocky or outlandish, but I always thought if I was starting Game 1 in the playoffs, then we were ahead 2-0 in the series because I would get at least that many starts," Smoltz said. "That's just how strongly I felt that time of year.

"I don't have that kind of impact anymore (as a reliever). But regardless of what happened as a closer, I knew no one could ever take away my postseason. We had a 90 percent chance of winning when I took the ball in the postseason."

Smoltz looked anything but confident and comfortable in his new role at the start of last season. In his second appearance - a tie game and not a save situation - Smoltz surrendered six hits, two walks and eight runs against the Mets. And when he blew his first save four days later on the Rolen homer, some wondered if he had the makeup to be a closer.

"I'd be a liar if I told you that wasn't a motivating factor," he admitted.

From there, he proceeded to get the save in each of his next 12 chances. He strung together 25 consecutive saves at one point and closed out the regular season with another 16 consecutive saves without a blunder.

"My only goal was to make sure I didn't blow two games in a row," he said. "You can get into a bad streak just like you can get into a good one in a hurry doing this job. If I would have saved 35, that would have been a good year for me. To have gotten 55 and have the year go so good, I still can't hardly believe it."

He laughs now at the notion that he might top what he did last season.

"It never will happen again, no way," Smoltz said with a chuckle. "I'm a dreamer and I believe, but that kind of season just isn't going to happen again. I might not get 40 this year. You can't control the numbers."