Phenomenal Smith

Pitcher
  • Card series: Beginnings: 1880's
  • City: Baltimore
  • Team: Orioles
  • League: American Association

John Francis Smith (1864-1952). Despite his name, Smith never had a winning season in the major leagues, going 54-74 for 6 different teams over 8 seasons. Smith earned his nickname after striking out 16 batters in a minor league game. Before one game, Smith bragged he was so good that he did not need his teammates; they proceeded to commit 14 errors & Smith lost the game 18-5. The players were fined $500 and Smith was released.

  • Discovered Christy Mathewson
  • Won a minor league batting title
  • Smith’s uniform color on this card was changed in March, 2017 from black to blue & red to reflect recent reliable research by Craig Brown & friends at Threads of Our Game. Nine cards had been previously released featuring a black uniform.

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