Las Vegas, NV — The San Francisco Giants would like to congratulate minor league pitching coach Lee Smith on being elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Today’s Game Era Committee.
Smith pitched for 18 seasons with the Cubs (1980-87), Red Sox (1988-90), Cardinals (1990-92), Yankees (1993), Orioles (1994), Angels (1995), Reds (1996) and Expos (1997). His 478 saves were the top mark in baseball from 1993 to the 2006 season and still rank third on the all-time list behind Mariano Rivera’s 652 and Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman’s 601. A seven-time All-Star, Smith led his league in saves four times and topped the 30-save mark in 10 seasons.
Via the Associated Press:
Smith, who never reached 51 percent in 15 BBWAA elections, became the seventh pitcher who mostly was a reliever to make the Hall. Baines was a designated hitter for much of his career, and DHs have struggled to gain backing from Hall voters.
Smith has been with the Giants as a minor-league pitching instructor since 1998.
