Lee Smith
The towering right-hander owned the ninth inning before anyone called it "closing." Smith's 478 career saves stood as the all-time record for 13 years, a testament to his dominance during baseball's transition from committee closers to specialized stoppers.
That 1983 season tells the whole story. A 1.65 ERA with an ERA+ of 234 means Smith was more than twice as effective as the average pitcher, yet he went 4-10 because wins meant nothing when you only pitched the ninth. His 91 strikeouts in just 103 innings showcased the overpowering stuff that made him untouchable in short bursts.
Smith bridged eras perfectly — physical enough to throw 100-plus innings some seasons, dominant enough to define what the modern closer would become. The Hall of Fame took its time recognizing him, but 18 years was worth the wait for baseball's first true closer.
Career · Hitting
18 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | CHC | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 1981 | CHC | 40 | 9 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 1982 | CHC | 72 | 16 | 1 | 1 | .063 | .368 | 52 |
| 1983 | CHC | 66 | 9 | 0 | 0 | .111 | .311 | 44 |
| 1984 | CHC | 69 | 13 | 0 | 1 | .077 | .154 | 22 |
| 1985 | CHC | 65 | 6 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .143 | 20 |
| 1986 | CHC | 66 | 5 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 1987 | CHC | 63 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 1988 | BOS | 64 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 1989 | BOS | 64 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 1990 | STL | 64 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 1991 | STL | 67 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 1992 | STL | 70 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 1993 | STL | 63 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 1994 | BAL | 41 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 1995 | CAL | 52 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 1996 | CAL | 54 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 1997 | MON | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Career | 1023 | 64 | 1 | 2 | .047 | — | — | |
Career · Pitching
18 seasons| Year | Team | G | IP | W | L | ERA | ERA+ | SO | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | CHC | 18 | 21.7 | 2 | 0 | 2.91 | 132 | 17 | 1.615 |
| 1981 | CHC | 40 | 66.7 | 3 | 6 | 3.51 | 102 | 50 | 1.320 |
| 1982 | CHC | 72 | 117.0 | 2 | 5 | 2.69 | 143 | 99 | 1.214 |
| 1983 | CHC | 66 | 103.3 | 4 | 10 | 1.65 | 234 | 91 | 1.074 |
| 1984 | CHC | 69 | 101.0 | 9 | 7 | 3.65 | 104 | 86 | 1.317 |
| 1985 | CHC | 65 | 97.7 | 7 | 4 | 3.04 | 128 | 112 | 1.218 |
| 1986 | CHC | 66 | 90.3 | 9 | 9 | 3.09 | 128 | 93 | 1.229 |
| 1987 | CHC | 62 | 83.7 | 4 | 10 | 3.12 | 137 | 96 | 1.386 |
| 1988 | BOS | 64 | 83.7 | 4 | 5 | 2.80 | 133 | 96 | 1.303 |
| 1989 | BOS | 64 | 70.7 | 6 | 1 | 3.57 | 104 | 96 | 1.217 |
| 1990 | STL | 64 | 83.0 | 5 | 5 | 2.06 | 187 | 87 | 1.205 |
| 1991 | STL | 67 | 73.0 | 6 | 3 | 2.34 | 167 | 67 | 1.137 |
| 1992 | STL | 70 | 75.0 | 4 | 9 | 3.12 | 120 | 60 | 1.173 |
| 1993 | STL | 63 | 58.0 | 2 | 4 | 3.88 | 108 | 60 | 1.155 |
| 1994 | BAL | 41 | 38.3 | 1 | 4 | 3.29 | 137 | 42 | 1.174 |
| 1995 | CAL | 52 | 49.3 | 0 | 5 | 3.47 | 128 | 43 | 1.358 |
| 1996 | CIN | 54 | 55.3 | 3 | 4 | 3.74 | 123 | 41 | 1.500 |
| 1997 | MON | 25 | 21.7 | 0 | 1 | 5.82 | 75 | 15 | 1.662 |
| Career | 1022 | 1289.4 | 71 | 92 | — | — | 1251 | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.