As the role of the closer started to get defined into its modern use over 20 years ago, Lee Smith became the dominate pitcher of his time at that position. After assuming the fireman’s role in 1982, the Louisiana native set the standard for saves by a reliever and still holds the mark for most saves (478) in a career. As mean and nasty as Smith could be on the mound during his 18 years in the Big Leagues, he is the exact opposite off field. Smith is a jovial, nice man who just has a love for the game. In fact, after answering the questions for this interview, the big right-hander stuck around and discussed baseball for 20 minutes afterwards. He spoke mainly about his current job as a minor league pitching instructor for the San Francisco Giants and what he is doing to teach future relievers his craft. MOFO Sports was fortunate to grab Smith at a charity event on Long Island to talk about his career and the possibility of the Hall of Fame.
MOFO Sports: What was your mentality as a closer when you were sitting in the bullpen?
Lee Smith: I was always nervous for the other guys out there. When I came between the lines, it all went away. I just thought about the situation of the game and the score of the game. I got it down to a science where I could pitch in any situation. There are certain guys you don’t want to beat you. It’s game situations like that I thrived for. It got the adrenaline going.
MS: What was it like pitching on the North Side all those years?
LS: It was really awesome. I think the best thing out of the whole Cub-Wrigley Field thing is that it probably made me a hell of a lot better pitcher. Thinking about the short fences and knowing that you don’t have the gaps to work with made me keep the ball down. And going to Fenway was the same way. I had to make good pitches and couldn’t throw the ball down the middle of the plate like I could in St. Louis.
MS: How did you like the fans in Wrigley?
LS: Wrigley fans and Fenway fans were somewhat the same. They want the team to win so badly. It’s really something to see these people come to the ballpark. We would come to the ballpark in mid-September - 20 games out - and still have sell-out crowds.
MS: What were the major differences between playing in Boston and playing in Chicago?
LS: For me it was different teammates. The cities were somewhat the same. At the time I didn’t care for the American League. I liked coming to the ballpark and knowing that I had to take batting practice and do other hitting drills. In Boston, I think we had a pretty good ballclub, but in that era guys never changed leagues. Now guys will play in both leagues. In five years, a guy could play for three or four different teams.
MS: How difficult was the Boston media to deal with?
LS: I never had any problem with the media. I did my job in between the lines and if I didn’t do my job - I screwed up. I had a guy tell me in St. Louis that I was a better interview when I screwed up. Some of the guys, when they pitch and don’t do well, hide in the trainers room. I went out and said that I got my ass kicked. I was one of those guys that was never too high when I did well and I never got down on myself, because I knew the game was unpredictable.
MS: What save was the most memorable in your career?
LS: The most memorable one for me was a win. I was the winning pitcher in the ‘87 All-Star game. I struck out Mark McGwire twice in a three inning stint and that put Lee Smith on the map as one of the better closers in the league.
MS: Do you think you belong in the Hall of Fame?
LS: As a relief pitcher - yes. I think Bruce Sutter and Goose (Gossage) belong in the Hall of Fame. If their teams didn’t have those guys would they have won the World Series? I don’t think so. Mariano Rivera of the Yankees and Troy Percival of the Angels are in the same situation. If those guys are not on their ballclubs, those teams don’t win the World Series. If it was that easy then why doesn’t a team have four or five closers? It’s something about that 27th out that takes a strange person to do that job and guys can’t do it day in - day out. You will see guys who are nasty for three to four years and then you will never see them again.
MS: Of all the cities you played in, what was your favorite?
LS: St. Louis without a doubt. I liked the ballpark and Joe Torre was my manager. I am a good old country boy and I liked the way we had a good defense. We had Vince Coleman in the outfield and we had Ozzie (Smith). As a matter of fact we had Todd Worrell as our setup man.
We lost a game against Pittsburgh 3-2 and Joe Magrane never had the ball leave the infield. We lost the game and the fans gave him a standing ovation for his effort. You don’t get that in other cities. You don’t get any standing ovations when you lose, but (St. Louis fans) knew the game and they knew that there was nothing we could do to prevent us from losing - the ball hit the damn bag. They are really knowledgeable fans that know not just about winning or losing, but the game itself.
MS: So Torre was your favorite manager to play for?
LS: Oh yeah.
MS: Who was the biggest influence on your career?
LS: I would have to go with Fergie Jenkins. He was my pitching coach and mentor on and off the field. I liked the way he carried himself and I learned a lot from playing with him. It was on the job training. We would be down in that corner of Wrigley and we would be working on my curveball. I had a better curveball than a slider, but as a relief pitcher, the team didn’t want me to use my curveball to close. Fergie was trying to get them to let me use my curveball. When I pitched three innings, I used my curveball, but when I was in the eighth and ninth innings, I didn’t use it.
Photo by Joe McDonald.
