Bill Smith (smithbi04)

William Garland Smith

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 0", Weight 190 lb.
• High School Theodore Roosevelt High School (Washington)
• Debut September 13, 1958
• Final Game September 28, 1962
• Born June 8, 1934 in Washington, DC USA
• Died March 30, 1997 in Clinton, MD USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Lefthander Bill Smith was signed as an amateur free agent by the St. Louis Cardinals before the 1953 season. The 19-year-old spent his first year with the pennant-winning St. Joseph Cardinals of the class C Western Association where he won 8 and lost 7 with a 4.79 ERA to help his team to the title. 1954 saw Smith with the Winnipeg Goldeyes of the class C Northern League, going 17-8 with a 2.93 ERA and a berth on the All-Star team.

In 1957 Bill was with the Columbus Foxes winning 16 and losing 8 with a 3.12 ERA and led the South Atlantic League in strikeouts with 196. Also in 1957, he teamed up with two other pitchers, Joe McClain and Richard Niesyto throwing a no-hitter at the Savannah Redlegs on May 26th.

The left-hander saw most of his time on the mound in the late 1950s and early 1960s with the Omaha Cardinals, Rochester Red Wings and the Buffalo Bisons, but did make it into 32 games for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1958 and 1959, going 0-1 in 1958 in 2 outings and had no decisions in 6 games in 1959. Bill also saw action with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1962 after the Cardinals traded him along with Bobby Gene Smith for Carl Sawatski. Bill made 24 appearances for the Phillies in 1962, going 1-5 with a 4.29 ERA. This was Bill's last pitching in the major leagues and he closed with a 1-6 record and a career 4.21 ERA.

Smith finished out his 12-season (1953-1964) minor league run with the Arkansas Travelers of the Pacific Coast League in 1964 at the age of 30 and wound up with a 130-93 record with a 3.72 ERA, appearing in 380 games. After baseball Bill settled in Clinton, MD and went into the sporting goods business where he was active until his death on March 30, 1997, at the age of 62.

Sources

Baseball Players of the 1950s