When former closer Lee Smith retired from baseball in 1997, he was the all-time saves leader with 478. Only Trevor Hoffman and Mariano Rivera finished with more career saves than the big righty from Louisiana. Drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 2nd round of the 1975 MLB Amateur Draft, Smith made his debut with the “Northsiders” on September 1, 1980. His 18-year career saw him pitch for the Cubs, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, California Angels, Cincinnati Reds and Montreal Expos.

     Smith picked up career save number 348 and his 36th save of the 1992 season while pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals. This Official National League William D. White baseball was used during the August 30th, 1992 game when Smith pitched a perfect ninth inning with one strikeout to preserve the Cardinals 2-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Busch Stadium. The baseball displays minor toning and surface wear and Smith signed his name in blue pen on the side panel. Inscriptions on this ball in faded black ink include “Save #348”, “8-30-92 and a faded box score with only some of the numbers legible. This game used and signed baseball comes with a LOA from Lee Smith.

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