William Garland Smith (June 8, 1934 – March 30, 1997) was an American professional baseball player, a left-handed pitcher whose 12 years as a professional (1953–64) included parts of three seasons in the Major Leagues for the St. Louis Cardinals (1958–59) and Philadelphia Phillies (1962). Born in Washington, D.C., Smith batted left-handed, stood 6 feet (1.83 m) tall and weighed 190 pounds (86.2 kg).

Bill Smith
Pitcher
Born: (1934-06-08)June 8, 1934
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Died: March 30, 1997(1997-03-30) (aged 62)
Clinton, Maryland, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Left
MLB debut
September 13, 1958, for the St. Louis Cardinals
Last MLB appearance
September 28, 1962, for the Philadelphia Phillies
MLB statistics
Win–loss record1–6
Earned run average4.21
Strikeouts34
Teams

Smith signed originally with the Cardinals, and won 130 games during his minor league career, with six seasons of ten or more wins.[1] He appeared in 24 games played during his three Major League stints, six as a starting pitcher. His one big-league victory came on June 28, 1962, at Candlestick Park when he relieved starter Jim Owens in the second inning and threw 723 innings of shutout ball. The Phils eventually overtook the San Francisco Giants, 7–2. Smith bested a future Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher in Juan Marichal on that day, and helped his cause with an RBI double off the Giants' pitcher.[2]

All told, Smith lost six of seven Major League decisions, and gave up 82 hits and 17 bases on balls in 6813 innings of work. He struck out 34.

References

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  1. ^ "Bill Smith Register Statistics & History". baseball-reference.com. sports-reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  2. ^ "Philadelphia Phillies 7, San Francisco Giants 2". retrosheet.org. June 28, 1962. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
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