Lee Smith Hall of Fame MLB

Lee Smith was one of the most dominant relief pitchers of his generation, spending 18 seasons in Major League Baseball with eight teams. After joining the Chicago Cubs in 1980, he developed into a powerful closer and became one of the first pitchers to make the modern save a defining part of his career. Smith earned seven All-Star selections and led his league in saves four times. He reached 30 saves in 10 seasons and recorded 478 saves during his career.

His 1991 and 1992 seasons with the St.Louis Cardinals were especially notable, as he led the National League in saves both years. Smith retired in 1997 with 1,022 games, 1,289⅓ innings, 1,251 strikeouts and a 3.03 ERA. His 478 saves were the MLB career record at the time of his retirement and remained the record until 2006. Smith was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019.

Smith's Awards and Honors

• 7× All-Star (1983, 1987, 1991–1995)
• 3× Rolaids Relief Man Award (1991, 1992, 1994)
• 4× Saves leader (1983, 1991, 1992, 1994)
• Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame
• Reached 30 saves in 10 seasons
• Finished in the top five of Cy Young voting three times

MLB Records

• Held the MLB career saves record with 478 saves from 1993 to 2006
• First pitcher to reach 400 career saves.
• 802 career games finished, which was the MLB record when he retired
• Recorded 546 consecutive games without a fielding error