Lee Arthur Smith is finally, Finally, FINALLY elected to the prestigious Baseball Hall of Fame!!! Clearly, this has me excited and relieved. Not going to lie, it has kept me up at night a few times over the years. How could the all time leader in a major category, whose position is defined by this stat, not be inducted? When he threw his last pitch in the show, he had the lead by 89 Saves.  

Aside from a few black clouds of controversy in the game, the all time leaders in every major category are in the Hall of Fame. With 478 career Saves, it is unfortunate that it took this long. Nonetheless, hats off to the Today’s Game Era Committee who voted him into the Hall. Those who faced the intimidating closer from the batter’s box, the dugout, and the front office, knew just how scary he was. Proving that the pen is not always mightier than the sword. Case in point, this enshrinement took 17 years to embark upon, as the writers shunned him on the first 15 ballots.

 

Lee Smith Hall of Famer
The Intimidator

Lee Smith is a behemoth of a man. His presence on the mound was equally imposing. At 6’6” 265 lbs, pumping 95 mph in the 1980’s with a devastating Slider, he was as scary and intimidating as they came. Known for napping in the clubhouse until the 5th inning and his slow methodical walks in from the bullpen, opposing teams dreaded trailing in the 9th inning when Lee Arthur was in the stadium.  

At the suggestion of baseball legend, Buck O’Neil, Smith was a 2nd round draft pick by the Chicago Cubs in 1975. While in AA in 1978, Smith briefly traded baseball in favor of college basketball after he was moved to the bullpen. Cubs legend Billy Williams talked him into sticking with baseball and relief pitching. The move paid off as he was called up to the bigs with the Cubs in 1980.  

MLB Profile: Lee Smith

Lee Smith Hall of Famer
The Closer

In 1982, fellow soon to be Hall of Famer, Ferguson Jenkins took him under his wing and taught him the Slider. Naturally, things took off for him as he saved 17 games that season and made his first All Star Game the following year.  

Within a few seasons, Smith established his reputation as THE PREMIER CLOSER of his era while on the North Side. He then went on to also pitch for the Red Sox, Cardinals, Yankees, Orioles, Angels, Reds, and Expos. Making 7 All Star Teams and finishing in the top 5 in Cy Young voting 3 times. Also adding 3 Rolaids Relief Man Awards.

Smith headed the closer transformation from a multi inning work horse to a Mean Mugging 9th Inning Door Slammer. 169 of his career saves were for more than 3 outs. 94 were for more than 2 innings. 4 times he logged more than 90 IP out of the pen. In an era when hitters struckout nowhere near a much as today, Smith recorded more than a Strikeout per inning 8 times. His high water mark was 12.23 K/9 in 1989 while with the Red Sox.

 

 

Lee Smith Hall of Famer
BBWAA vs Today’s Game Committee

Smith was on the Baseball Hall of Fame Writers Ballot from 2003 to 2017. His highest vote total was 50.6% in 2012. Still noticeably short of the necessary 75% needed for induction. Sadly, he hovered between 30-47% during most of his eligibility. It is always boggling how a player’s career fluctuates after his retirement… However, on his first year of the Today’s Game Era/Veterans Committee ballot, he was elected unanimously! The 16 member committee consists of Hall of Fame players and managers, along with baseball executives, historians, statisticians, and media members. Getting all 16 votes shows that those who have been in the trenches of what it takes to win a Major League game, fully understand the impact this man had. Both in securing wins, as well as being a colossal roadblock to the fight of the opposition.

Congrats to Lee Smith Hall of Famer for finally getting his due with Baseball Immortality! 

Keep Dominating!!!