Christopher William Smith (born July 18, 1957) is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

player. He played as a

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

and

left fielder In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

and

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

Career

Smith attended the University of Southern California from 1976 to 1978. He was a starting member on the varsity baseball team since his freshman year where he hit third in the lineup all three years. He was selected to play for the

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

team against the

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

in 1977 and 1978, where he met some very special friends from the Japanese national team, Tatsunori Hara and his close friend Suguru Egawa, which Christopher roomed with at USC in 1978, where the Trojans won the national title in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

. After touring Japan with the USA All Stars in 1978, Christopher signed a professional contract with the Texas Rangers. In his first year professionally, he hit .331, third highest in the Texas League. He was traded to the Montreal Expos the next year for

Rusty Staub Daniel Joseph "Rusty" Staub (April 1, 1944 – March 29, 2018) was an American professional baseball player and television color commentator. He played in Major League Baseball for 23 seasons as a right fielder, designated hitter, and first basem ...

where he hit .327 in the International league,

Wichita Aeros The Wichita Aeros were an American minor league baseball franchise based in Wichita, Kansas, that played in the Triple-A American Association from 1970 through 1984. The Aeros were established as an expansion franchise when the Association grew ...

, AAA affiliate of the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

. The next year he was traded to the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

for

Jim Wohlford James Eugene Wohlford (born February 28, 1951) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder from 1972 to 1986 for the Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, San Francisco Giants, and ...

, where he played in the Pacific Coast League AAA affiliate of the Giants winning the batting title hitting .378 in 1983. He proceeded to play in the Major Leagues with the Montreal Expos in 1981 and 1982, and San Francisco Giants where in 1983, he finished the year hitting .328. One of his highlights in the major leagues, was at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, where he hit a three-run home run to beat the Cincinnati Reds in the top of the ninth inning going 2-for-5 for the day. After his career in the MLB, he signed at the time, the most lucrative three-year contract ever, with the

Yakult Swallows The Tokyo Yakult Swallows () are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Yom ...

of the

(NPB). His only regret was not signing with the

Yomiuri Giants The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They ...

, who at the time, offered him two years, instead of three. In two seasons with the Swallows, he played in 68 total games, having 36 hits with five home runs and 18 RBIs for a .202 batting average.

Personal life

Smith has lived in Japan since 1995 where he considers his home after meeting a former model and TV broadcaster whom he married in 2003. They have twins, one boy and one girl.

External links

, o
Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Winter League)
1957 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada American expatriate baseball players in Japan Baseball players from Torrance, California Denver Bears players Major League Baseball infielders Memphis Chicks players Minor league baseball managers Montreal Expos players Navegantes del Magallanes players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Nippon Professional Baseball outfielders Phoenix Giants players San Francisco Giants players Tucson Toros players Tulsa Drillers players USC Trojans baseball players Wichita Aeros players Yakult Swallows players {{US-baseball-first-baseman-stub