Baseball Hall of Famer Tom Glavine visits Gulf Coast ahead of MLB Opening Day

BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) - Gulf Coast Cards and Sports Memorabilia welcomed MLB great Tom Glavine to the Edgewater Mall ahead of Thursday’s opening day.

The Baseball Hall of Famer spent time with fans, signing autographs and taking photos.

The ten-time all-star was the 1995 World Series MVP when the braves defeated the Cleveland Indians to capture the championship. With new rule changes coming into effect in 2023, I spoke with Glavine to get his thoughts on what the biggest adjustments will be.

“It’ll be faster,” he said.

“I have a son who plays minor league baseball. I watched a lot of his games last year and they’re fast. Much crisper than what people are used to. I think from what we’ve seen so far in spring training, that has been the case. Games are about a half-hour faster. I think that’s important for the average fan.

Glavine is set to return to the Braves broadcast booth after taking a year off in 2022. The team comes into the 2023 season following a defeat to division rival Philadelphia in the NLDS.

The Braves great offered his thoughts on what he is looking forward to seeing in the new campaign.

“If you look at the National League East, it’s going to be a tough division. The Mets got better; the Phillies got better. Some of the Braves younger guys had great years last year now they’re going to have to follow it up and prove it which is always an interesting thing to watch.”

As for what Glavine is looking for outside the N.L. East, the Boston native mentioned that he believes there will be a team that shocks the baseball world.

“I think one of the greatest things about baseball is there’s always a team that comes out of nowhere. I’m curious to see who that team is going to be this year because there will be somebody.”

Glavine’s former team opens the season at 12:05 PM CT on Thursday against the Nationals.

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