Phenomenal Smith
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Phenomenal Smith | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Pitcher | ||
| Born: December 12, 1864 | ||
| Died: April 3, 1952 (aged 87) | ||
| Batted: Left | Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | ||
| April 18, 1884 for the Philadelphia Athletics |
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| Final game | ||
| June 15, 1891 for the Philadelphia Phillies |
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| Career statistics | ||
| Win-Loss record | 54-74 | |
| ERA | 3.89 | |
| Strikeouts | 519 | |
| Teams | ||
| Career highlights and awards | ||
John Francis "Phenomenal" Smith (Born: John Francis Gammon) (December 12, 1864 - April 3, 1952) was a 19th century Major League Baseball player from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who pitched for six different teams during his eight year career.[1]
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[edit] Phenomenal
According to the Museum of New Hampshire History, Smith lived most of his life in New Hampshire and got his nickname when he struck out 16 batters in a game in 1885 while pitching for the Newark Domestics.[2] On June 17, 1885, while playing for the Brooklyn Grays, his team decided to punish him for his perceived brash and cocky demeanor by intentionally committing 14 "errors", losing the game 18-5. All 18 runs against the brash left-hander were at first scored as unearned‚ but record books indicate that 11 of the runs were earned. Having been nicknamed "Phenomenal", he reportedly claimed that he was so good that he didn't need his teammates to win. The intentional misplays of his teammates caused club President Lynch to fine the guilty players $500 each‚ but he reluctantly agrees to release Smith to ensure team harmony.[3]
Most of his playing time came with the Baltimore Orioles in the 1887 and 1888 seasons, winning 41 games as the second man in the pitching rotation to Matt Kilroy.
[edit] Post-Major League Baseball career
After his Major league career, he became a minor league baseball manager and player-manager, winning the batting title in 1903, and is credited with discovering the Christy Mathewson who later became a Hall of Fame pitcher for the New York Giants.[4] He later became a member of the Manchester police department, from which he would retire, and would stay in the area. Smith died in Manchester, New Hampshire at the age of 87, and was buried at St. Joseph Cemetery in Bedford, New Hampshire.[5]
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs
