2017 holiday
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/10/2017
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.
Lee Smith earned his 310th career save on September 28th, 1991 during the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Smith pitched a scoreless ninth inning, not allowing a run with one strikeout to preserve the victory for the Cards, his 45th save of the season. This Official William D. White baseball was used during this game and Smith signed his name in blue pen on the side panel. The ball shows excellent game use and is toned. The inscriptions on this ball are in black ink and include “#Save 45”, “9-28-91”, “Chicago 100 000 100 –2 7 1” and “Cardinal 200 010 00X –3 6 2”. 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.