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 his 2nd save of the 1995 season and 455th career save during the California Angels 8-5 victory over the Detroit Tigers at Tiger Stadium on July 13, 1995. Smith pitched a scoreless ninth inning with two strikeouts and a walk to preserve the win. This Official American League Gene A. Budig baseball shows excellent use with various marks and was used during this game. Smith signed this ball in blue pen on the side panel and inscriptions on this ball in faded black ink include “SAVE #455”, “7/13/95”, “CALIFORNIA 002 020 103 –8” and “DETROIT 200 300 000– 5”. This game used and signed baseball comes with a LOA from Lee Smith, who in his LOA states that this ball has been in his personal collection.

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