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 431st career save during the July 15th, 1994 game when he was a member of the Baltimore Orioles. Smith pitched the ninth inning to preserve the Orioles 5-4 victory over the California Angels at Anaheim Stadium. It was also Smith’s 30th save of the 1994 season, which marked the ninth time in his career that he reached at least 30 saves in a season. This Official American League Bobby Brown baseball was used during that game. Smith signed his name in bold blue pen on the side panel. Inscriptions on this ball in black ink include “Save #431 9^th 30 SAVE SEASON”, “7-15-94”, “BALTIMORE 000 000 030 - 3” and “CALIFORNIA 000 001 001 -2”. Please note that Smith inscribed the wrong date of the game. The ball shows signs of use and is only slightly toned. 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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