Billy Smith (smithbi06)

Billy Lavern Smith

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 7", Weight 200 lb.
• School Wharton County Junior College, Sam Houston State University
• Debut June 9, 1981
• Final Game October 3, 1981
• Born September 13, 1954 in LaMarque, TX USA

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Biographical Information

Billy Smith pitched for the Houston Astros in 1981.

Born in LaMarque, TX near Galveston, TX, Billy attended Sam Houston State University during 1974-1977. His time there overlapped with Rick Matula and Don Welchel.

Picked by the Astros in the 14th round of the 1977 amateur draft, he began in the minors that year. He worked his way up the system, posting a record of 14-9 with the Columbus Astros in 1979 and 12-4 with the Tucson Toros in 1980. In 1981, he spent part of the season with Tucson, going 5-2, and made his major league debut in June.

Billy appeared in 10 games for the Astros, with an ERA of 3.05. It was an old pitching staff that year for the Astros, and Billy's teammates included the 36-year-old Don Sutton, the 36-year-old Joe Niekro and the 34-year-old Nolan Ryan. He pitched briefly in post-season play, and was quoted in an October 19, 1981 issue of Sports Illustrated about the strength of the Astros bullpen.

Smith was back at Tucson in 1982 but was not effective and his minor league career ended.

He is not to be confused with another Billy Smith, who was also in the 1981 National League, although as a position player.