Lee Smith
From SoSH
| Born: | December 4, 1957 |
| Birthplace: | Shreveport, Louisiana |
| Hometown: | Shreveport, Louisiana |
| Height: | 6' 6" |
| Weight: | 225 lbs |
| Bats: | Right |
| Throws: | Right |
| Drafted: | 1975: 2nd Round by the Chicago Cubs |
| College: | Northwestern State University |
| High School: | |
| Other Teams: | Chicago Cubs 1980-1987 St. Louis Cardinals 1990-93 New York Yankees 1993 Baltimore Orioles 1994 California Angels 1994-1996 Cincinatti Reds 1996 Montreal Expos 1997 |
| Years with Boston: | 1988 - 1990 |
"Big Lee" Smith, all-time leader in saves, served as the Red Sox closer until he was displaced by Jeff Reardon in 1990, and dealt to St. Louis for Tom Brunansky.
Contents |
Overall Career
Smith is the all-time leader in saves with 278, and in games finished with 802. Smith had twelve consecutive seasons of at least 25 saves. Smith was a two-inning closer for much of the first decade of his career. Smith only had two postseason appearances, and was lit up for a 8.49 ERA in his limited experience. The Cubs were concerned about 'Big Lee's' knees, so they dealt him to Boston for Calvin Schiraldi and Al Nipper. Smith went on to be an All-Star from 1991-1995, and retired from baseball in 1998.
Smith has worked as a pitching instructor for the San Francisco Giants since 2000, whose Double-A team plays in his hometown of Shreveport.
He has not been elected to the Hall of Fame yet, getting on just 45% of the ballots in 2006.
Awards
- 3-time Rolaids Relief Pitcher of the Year (1991, 1992, 1994)
- 7-time Major Leauge All-Star(1983, 1987, 1991 - 1995)
Trivia
- Smith was the winning pitcher in the 1987 All-Star game...who said he wasn't clutch?
- In his first Red Sox appearance, he blew a save and was tagged for the loss
- Smith quit baseball for a while to play basketball at Northwestern Louisiana State
Transactions
- June 3, 1975: Drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 2nd round of the 1975 amateur draft. Player signed June 20, 1975.
- December 8, 1987: Traded by the Chicago Cubs to the Boston Red Sox for Al Nipper and Calvin Schiraldi.
- May 4, 1990: Traded by the Boston Red Sox to the St. Louis Cardinals for Tom Brunansky.
- August 31, 1993: Traded by the St. Louis Cardinals to the New York Yankees for Rich Batchelor.
- October 25, 1993: Granted Free Agency.
- January 20, 1994: Signed as a Free Agent with the Baltimore Orioles.
- October 24, 1994: Granted Free Agency.
- December 14, 1994: Signed as a Free Agent with the California Angels.
- May 27, 1996: Traded by the California Angels to the Cincinnati Reds for Chuck McElroy.
- October 29, 1996: Granted Free Agency.
- January 21, 1997: Signed as a Free Agent with the Montreal Expos.
- September 25, 1997: Released by the Montreal Expos.
- January 20, 1998: Signed as a Free Agent with the Kansas City Royals.
External Links
- Baseball-Reference.com - Career Statistics and Analysis
