Lee Smith looking forward to joining new team in MLB Hall of Fame

One of the dominant relief pitchers of all time, Lee Smith, spent 18 years intimidating big hitters with his 95 mph fastball and towering presence on the mound.

The 6-foot-6 265-pound Smith spent 18 years in the major leagues, playing for eight teams. He pitched in 1,022 games, struck out 1,251 hitters and finished with a career earned run average of 3.03. He held the all-time career save lead with 478 from 1993-2006 and is still ranked third all-time behind Mariana Rivera (652) and Trevor Hoffman (601).

In July, Smith, now 61, will take his place along side the greats of the game when he is inducted into Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

But growing up in a hard-working family in northern Louisiana in the early 1970s, Big Lee’s dream of playing major league baseball seemed a million miles away from reality.

“When I was growing up, playing baseball was something we did after our homework was done and after the chores were taken care of. We had cows to milk before we could play ball.,’’ Smith said. “Now with all these select and traveling teams, baseball comes first before everything else. I don’t know if that’s good.

“We would play ball in the backyard and, like most kids, we dreamed of playing Major League Baseball. But it was a dream that came true for me. I never thought I would make it to the big leagues, let alone pitch in over 1,000 games. To make it to the Hall of Fame? Man, that’s icing on the cake.’’

Smith, who was voted into the Hall of Fame in December by the Today’s Game Era Committee (formerly the Veterans Committee), will be part of the 2019 Hall of Fame Class which includes Rivera, starting pitchers Roy Halladay and Mike Mussina, and designated hitter Edgar Martinez.

Smith was in the metro-east Friday as part of the Gateway Grizzlies’ 2019 opening night celebration. Still looking as though he could still get big league hitters out, Smith signed autographs and mingled with star-struck fans.

“I’m having a lot of fun. This is what it’s all about. These young men are out here playing ball, chasing their dreams,’’ Smith said. “(GCS Ballpark) is a really nice facility. It’s great to be able to meet so many wonderful fans.’’

Smith, who was a seven-time all-star and three time Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award winner, retired in 1997 after pitching for his eighth and final major league team, the Montreal Expos.

Smith remains involved in the game. He has been a roving pitching instructor for the past 20 years with the San Francisco Giants. Since getting the news of his Hall of Fame induction, he has been touring the country to make appearances.

“I really enjoy working with young pitchers and I see my old Cardinals teammate Vince Coleman,who is now also working with the Giants,’’ Smith said. “I still see a lot of my old teammates, guys like Keith Moreland and Jody Davis who I played with in Chicago and I’ve seen a lot of Ozzie (Smith) at different stops during this Hall of Fame Tour.

“I was talking to (Roberto) Alomar recently. He said to me that of all thousands of players who have played Major League Baseball, there are only 230 players who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. I’m like, man, I really like my new team.’’

Smith said he thinks the game and players of today are better than when he played.

“The knowledge, the equipment, the training methods and what players do now to get ready for the season is better than we had,’’ Smith said. “The one thing I question sometimes is their reason for playing. Don’t get me wrong. Would I like to have made what major league players make in salary today? Sure I would have. But back when we played, guys like myself, Ryne Sandburg, Rick Sutcliffe, we stayed together because we thought we had a chance to win. Now, I think for a lot of players, it’s about how much money I can make and that’s it.’’

This story was originally published May 13, 2019 at 4:11 PM with the headline "Lee Smith looking forward to joining new team in MLB Hall of Fame."