Ed Smith (smithed05)

Edgar Alexander Smith

• Bats Unknown, Throws Unknown

• Debut April 18, 1884
• Final Game May 22, 1884

• Born November 2, 1863 in Sparta, ON CAN
• Died July 5, 1948 in St. Thomas, ON CAN

BR page

Biographical Information

Not that much is known about Ed Smith, pitcher for the Baltimore Monumentals of the Union Association in 1884. We do know he went 3-4 on a team that finished over .500, and his ERA was a bit worse than the team average.

His large number of unearned runs allowed seems excessive until one realizes that the whole team gave up approximately the same number of unearned runs as they did earned runs.

He was traced thanks to a note in Sporting Life that stated that he had previously been pitching in St. Thomas, ON. There was only one person named Ed Smith living in that town at the time. His obituary, published in 1948, mentions that he was a former baseball player, confirming his identity.

Further Reading

• "Ed Smith Found", in Bill Carle, ed.: Biographical Research Committee Report, SABR, September/October 2017, p. 1.