Lee Smith, baseball player, 1980-1997

Lee Smith

⭐ Hall of Fame 2019

Born: 12/4/1957 in Jamestown, LA, USA

MLB Debut: 1980-09-01 | Final Game: 1997-07-02

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'5" | Weight: 220 lbs

Full name: Lee Arthur Smith

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Biography

Lee Smith was a prominent relief pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1980 until his retirement in 1997. Born in 1957, Smith established himself as one of the premier closers of his era, known for his powerful fastball and intimidating presence on the mound. Over the course of his career, he recorded a win-loss record of 71-92 and an impressive earned run average (ERA) of 3.03. Smith struck out 1,251 batters and amassed a remarkable 478 saves, a testament to his effectiveness in high-pressure situations and his ability to close out games. Smith's contributions to the game were recognized during his playing days, as he was selected to the All-Star Game seven times. His career was marked by consistency and durability, often serving as a key relief option for several teams, including the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, and New York Yankees. After his retirement, Smith's legacy continued to grow, culminating in his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019. His impact on the game, particularly in the role of the modern closer, has left an enduring mark on baseball history.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
71 92 1022 6 0 0 478 1289.3 1133 434 89 486 1251 3.03 0

Career ERA 3.03 vs. league average 4.02 across their career seasons — 24.6% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1980 CHC NL 2 0 18 0 0 0 0 21.7 21 7 14 17 2.91 3.84 (+24%) -
1981 CHC NL 3 6 40 1 0 0 1 66.7 57 26 31 50 3.51 3.58 (+2%) -
1982 CHC NL 2 5 72 5 0 0 17 117.0 105 35 37 99 2.69 3.86 (+30%) -
1983 CHC NL 4 10 66 0 0 0 29 103.3 70 19 41 91 1.65 3.87 (+57%) -
1984 CHC NL 9 7 69 0 0 0 33 101.0 98 41 35 86 3.65 3.81 (+4%) -
1985 CHC NL 7 4 65 0 0 0 33 97.7 87 33 32 112 3.04 3.89 (+22%) -
1986 CHC NL 9 9 66 0 0 0 31 90.3 69 31 42 93 3.09 3.97 (+22%) -
1987 CHC NL 4 10 62 0 0 0 36 83.7 84 29 32 96 3.12 4.29 (+27%) -
1988 BOS AL 4 5 64 0 0 0 29 83.7 72 26 37 96 2.80 3.73 (+25%) 1721.9
1989 BOS AL 6 1 64 0 0 0 25 70.7 53 28 33 96 3.57 3.71 (+4%) 2078.7
1990 BOS AL 2 1 11 0 0 0 4 14.3 13 3 9 17 1.88 3.86 (+51%) 554.0
1990 STL NL 3 4 53 0 0 0 27 68.7 58 16 20 70 2.10 3.86 (+46%) -
1991 STL NL 6 3 67 0 0 0 47 73.0 70 19 13 67 2.34 3.91 (+40%) -
1992 STL NL 4 9 70 0 0 0 43 75.0 62 26 26 60 3.12 3.75 (+17%) -
1993 STL NL 2 4 55 0 0 0 43 50.0 49 25 9 49 4.50 4.19 (-7%) -
1993 NYY AL 0 0 8 0 0 0 3 8.0 4 0 5 11 0.00 — -
1994 BAL AL 1 4 41 0 0 0 33 38.3 34 14 11 42 3.29 4.51 (+27%) 653.2
1995 LAA AL 0 5 52 0 0 0 37 49.3 42 19 25 43 3.47 4.45 (+22%) -
1996 LAA AL 0 0 11 0 0 0 0 11.0 8 3 3 6 2.45 4.61 (+47%) -
1996 CIN NL 3 4 43 0 0 0 2 44.3 49 20 23 35 4.06 4.61 (+12%) 247.5
1997 WSN NL 0 1 25 0 0 0 5 21.7 28 14 8 15 5.82 4.39 (-32%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1023 64 2 3 0 0 1 2 0 3 42 0.047 0.090 0.094 0.183 0.0

Career AVG .047 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 82.0% below league average.

Career OBP .090 vs. league average .328 across their career seasons — 72.7% below league average.

Career SLG .094 vs. league average .396 across their career seasons — 76.3% below league average.

Career OPS 0.183 vs. league average 0.723 across their career seasons — 74.6% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1980 CHC NL 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1981 CHC NL 40 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1982 CHC NL 72 16 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 9 0.062 — — — — 0.0
1983 CHC NL 66 9 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 0.111 — — — — 0.0
1984 CHC NL 69 13 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 8 0.077 — — — — 0.0
1985 CHC NL 65 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1986 CHC NL 66 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1987 CHC NL 63 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1988 BOS AL 64 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1989 BOS AL 64 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1990 BOS AL 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1990 STL NL 53 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1991 STL NL 67 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1992 STL NL 70 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1993 STL NL 55 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1993 NYY AL 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1994 BAL AL 41 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1995 LAA AL 52 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1996 LAA AL 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1996 CIN NL 43 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1997 WSN NL 25 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1988 ALCS BOS 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1984 NLCS CHN 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 2 4 0 1 5.3 9 5 1 7 8.44

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1988 ALCS BOS 0 1 2 0 0 3.3 6 3 1 4 8.10
1984 NLCS CHN 0 1 2 0 1 2.0 3 2 0 3 9.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 1022 6 52 111 4 9

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1980 CHN P 18 0 0 3 0 0
1981 CHN P 40 1 3 9 0 0
1982 CHN P 72 5 9 10 1 2
1983 CHN P 66 0 8 9 0 0
1984 CHN P 69 0 6 13 0 2
1985 CHN P 65 0 3 9 0 1
1986 CHN P 66 0 1 12 0 2
1987 CHN P 62 0 3 8 0 0
1988 BOS P 64 0 5 4 1 0
1989 BOS P 64 0 1 1 0 0
1990 BOS P 11 0 0 2 0 0
1990 SLN P 53 0 2 1 0 0
1991 SLN P 67 0 3 6 0 0
1992 SLN P 70 0 1 7 1 1
1993 SLN P 55 0 0 1 0 0
1993 NYA P 8 0 0 1 0 0
1994 BAL P 41 0 2 2 1 0
1995 CAL P 52 0 1 4 0 0
1996 CAL P 11 0 1 0 0 0
1996 CIN P 43 0 2 5 0 1
1997 MON P 25 0 1 4 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 1023

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1994 Reliever of the Year Award
1994 TSN Fireman of the Year
1993 Player of the Week Week of 1993-06-26
1992 Player of the Week Week of 1992-08-29
1992 Reliever of the Year Award
1992 TSN Fireman of the Year
1991 Pitcher of the Month April
1991 Player of the Week Week of 1991-09-28
1991 Reliever of the Year Award
1991 TSN Fireman of the Year
1983 TSN Fireman of the Year

Featured In Rankings

#7
Top 20 Closers of All Time in History of MLB Baseball
Ranked 7 of 20
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Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1997 MON NL $400,000
1996 CAL AL $2,100,000
1995 CAL AL $2,561,113
1994 BAL AL $2,025,000
1993 SLN NL $2,691,667
1992 SLN NL $2,791,667
1991 SLN NL $2,791,666
1990 BOS AL $1,200,000
1989 BOS AL $1,425,000
1988 BOS AL $850,000
1987 CHN NL $840,000
1986 CHN NL $720,000
1985 CHN NL $670,000
Total Career Earnings $21,066,113

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1994 Cy Young Award AL 5th 1.0 140 0
1994 Most Valuable Player AL 14th 18.0 392 0
1992 Cy Young Award NL 4th 3.0 120 0
1991 Cy Young Award NL 2nd 60.0 120 4
1991 Most Valuable Player NL 8th 89.0 336 0
1988 Most Valuable Player AL 21th 4.0 392 0
1983 Cy Young Award NL 9th 1.0 120 0
1983 Most Valuable Player NL 18th 8.0 336 0