• 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.