Zane Smith
Encyclopedia
Zane William Smith is a former American
Major League
baseball
player.
. He was drafted by the Atlanta Braves
in the 3rd round of the 1982 amateur draft
and made his Major League debut on September 10, 1984 for Atlanta. His first successful season was 1987 with the Braves, when he led the team with 15 wins, nearly twice as many as any other Braves pitcher on a team with only 69 wins. He was among the league leaders in wins (tied 5th), innings pitched(5th), games started (tied 1st), complete games(4th) and shutouts (tied 3rd).
Smith was traded from Atlanta to the Montreal Expos
on July 2, 1989 for Sergio Valdez
, Nate Minchey
and minor leaguer Kevin Dean. Just over a year later, on August 8, 1990, Smith was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates
for Scott Ruskin, Willie Greene
and Moisés Alou
. The trade allowed the Pirates to hold off the New York Mets
down the stretch and win the National League
Eastern Division pennant. Smith contributed by winning 6 games, 3 of them complete games, 2 of those shutouts, while losing only 2, and compiling a 1.30 ERA. It was during this season that Smith had his best performance, a 1 hit complete game shutout of the Mets in the first game of a doubleheader
sweep that gave the Pirates a 2.5 game lead over the Mets.
Smith played with the Pirates through the 1994 season before signing as a free agent with the Boston Red Sox
on April 18, 1995. Smith did not have much success during the 1995 season for Boston. The next offseason, he returned to the Pirates for a salary that was significantly reduced from the $3.125 million he earned in 1994. Smith pitched his final career game for the Pirates on July 5, 1996; he would be released by the Pirates the following day.
On April 17, 1988 Smith got Atlanta's first victory of the season, ending a 10 game season-opening losing streak that set an NL record.
On October 3, 1995 Smith gave up a walk-off home run to Tony Peña
to end Game 1 of the 1995 American League Division Series
.
Smith has 6 children and lives in Boerne, Texas
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Major League
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player.
Career
Smith, a left-handed pitcher, played collegiately at Indiana State UniversityIndiana State University
Indiana State University is a public university located in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States.The Princeton Review has named Indiana State as one of the "Best in the Midwest" seven years running, and the College of Education's Graduate Program was recently named as a 'Top 100' by U.S...
. He was drafted by the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
in the 3rd round of the 1982 amateur draft
1982 Major League Baseball Draft
-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1982 Major League Baseball draft.- Other notable players :*Barry Bonds was drafted by the Giants in the 2nd round of the 1982 amateur draft, but did not sign...
and made his Major League debut on September 10, 1984 for Atlanta. His first successful season was 1987 with the Braves, when he led the team with 15 wins, nearly twice as many as any other Braves pitcher on a team with only 69 wins. He was among the league leaders in wins (tied 5th), innings pitched(5th), games started (tied 1st), complete games(4th) and shutouts (tied 3rd).
Smith was traded from Atlanta to the Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
on July 2, 1989 for Sergio Valdez
Sergio Valdéz
Sergio Valdez is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from through for the Montreal Expos , the Atlanta Braves , the Cleveland Indians the Boston Red Sox , and the San Francisco Giants .-Career:On September 10, , Valdez made his major league debut against the New...
, Nate Minchey
Nate Minchey
Nathan Derek Minchey is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1993 through 1997 for the Boston Red Sox and Colorado Rockies...
and minor leaguer Kevin Dean. Just over a year later, on August 8, 1990, Smith was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
for Scott Ruskin, Willie Greene
Willie Greene
Willie Louis Greene was a professional baseball player for nine years in the Major Leagues and during that time he played for four different teams...
and Moisés Alou
Moisés Alou
Moisés Rojas Alou |Spanish:]] ; born July 3, 1966 in Atlanta, Georgia) is a former American outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for 17 seasons in the National League. In 1,942 career games, Alou had a batting average of .303 with 2,134 hits, 421 doubles, 332 home runs, and 1,287 runs...
. The trade allowed the Pirates to hold off the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
down the stretch and win the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
Eastern Division pennant. Smith contributed by winning 6 games, 3 of them complete games, 2 of those shutouts, while losing only 2, and compiling a 1.30 ERA. It was during this season that Smith had his best performance, a 1 hit complete game shutout of the Mets in the first game of a doubleheader
Doubleheader (baseball)
A doubleheader is a set of two baseball games played between the same two teams on the same day in front of the same crowd. In addition, the term is often used unofficially to refer to a pair of games played by a team in a single day, but in front of different crowds and not in immediate...
sweep that gave the Pirates a 2.5 game lead over the Mets.
Smith played with the Pirates through the 1994 season before signing as a free agent with the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
on April 18, 1995. Smith did not have much success during the 1995 season for Boston. The next offseason, he returned to the Pirates for a salary that was significantly reduced from the $3.125 million he earned in 1994. Smith pitched his final career game for the Pirates on July 5, 1996; he would be released by the Pirates the following day.
Highlights
On May 1, 1986 Smith struck out 12 Mets to end New York's club record tying 11 game win streak.On April 17, 1988 Smith got Atlanta's first victory of the season, ending a 10 game season-opening losing streak that set an NL record.
On October 3, 1995 Smith gave up a walk-off home run to Tony Peña
Tony Peña
Antonio Francisco Peña Padilla is a former professional baseball player, manager and current coach. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball for the Pirates, Cardinals, Red Sox, Indians, White Sox, and Astros. Peña was the manager of the Kansas City Royals between 2002 and 2005. He...
to end Game 1 of the 1995 American League Division Series
1995 American League Division Series
-Seattle Mariners vs. New York Yankees:-Game 1, Tuesday, October 3:Jacobs Field in Cleveland, OhioAfter a 39-minute rain delay, Game 1 got underway with two veterans, Roger Clemens and Dennis Martínez, starting the opener. The Red Sox jumped in front first in the third on John Valentin's two run...
.
Smith has 6 children and lives in Boerne, Texas