Eugene F. Smith (April 23, 1916 – May 25, 2011) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

who played for several

Negro league baseball The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans and, to a lesser extent, Latin Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be ...

teams between and . Listed at 6' 1", 185 lb., Smith was a

switch hitter In baseball, a switch hitter is a player who bats both right-handed and left-handed, usually right-handed against left-handed pitchers and left-handed against right-handed pitchers. Characteristics Right-handed batters generally hit better aga ...

and threw right-handed. Smith was known as a hard-throwing pitcher during a solid career that saw him play for nine different Negro league clubs. In addition, he pitched for teams in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

and Minor League Baseball, taking a three-year break to serve in the US Army during World War II (1943–1945).Biographical Encyclopedia of the Negro Baseball Leagues.

Early life

He was born in

Ansley, Louisiana Ansley is an unincorporated community in Jackson Parish, Louisiana Jackson Parish (French: ''Paroisse de Jackson'') is a parish in the northern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,031. The parish s ...

. His younger brother, Quincy Smith, also played in the Negro leagues.

Negro league career

Smith entered the Negro leagues in 1938 with the

Atlanta Black Crackers The Atlanta Black Crackers (originally known as the Atlanta Cubs and later briefly the Indianapolis ABCs) were a professional Negro league baseball team which played during the early to mid-20th century. They were primarily a minor Negro league ...

, playing for them one year before joining the Ethiopian Clowns (1939), St. Louis–New Orleans Stars (1940–1941),

Kansas City Monarchs The Kansas City Monarchs were the longest-running franchise in the history of baseball's Negro leagues. Operating in Kansas City, Missouri, and owned by J. L. Wilkinson, they were charter members of the Negro National League from 1920 to 193 ...

(1941) and

New York Black Yankees The New York Black Yankees were a professional Negro league baseball team based in New York City; Paterson, New Jersey; and Rochester, New York. Beginning as the independent Harlem Stars, the team was renamed the New York Black Yankees in 1932 and ...

(1942). Following military discharge, he played for the

Pittsburgh Crawfords The Pittsburgh Crawfords, popularly known as the Craws, were a professional Negro league baseball team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team, previously known as the Crawford Colored Giants, was named after the Crawford Bath House, a recrea ...

(1946),

Homestead Grays The Homestead Grays (also known as Washington Grays or Washington Homestead Grays) were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro league baseball, Negro leagues in the United States. The team was formed in 1912 in sports, 1912 by Cumb ...

(1946–1947),

Cleveland Buckeyes The Cleveland Buckeyes were a Negro league baseball team that played from 1942 to 1950 in the Negro American League. The Buckeyes played in two Negro World Series, defeating the Washington Homestead Grays in 1945, and losing to the New York Cuba ...

(1946–1950) and

Chicago American Giants The Chicago American Giants were a Chicago-based Negro league baseball team. From 1910 until the mid-1930s, the American Giants were the most dominant team in black baseball. Owned and managed from 1911 to 1926 by player-manager Andrew "Rube" Fo ...

(1951). In 1938, while pitching for the Black Crackers, Smith threw two

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...

s in one day, and in 1941 with the Stars hurled another against the Black Yankees. He also started Games 3 and 6 of the

1947 Negro World Series The 1947 Negro World Series was the championship tournament for the 1947 season of the Negro leagues. It was the sixth edition of the second incarnation of the Series and the tenth overall played. It was a best-of-seven playoff played between the ...

against the

New York Cubans The New York Cubans were a Negro league baseball team that played during the 1930s and from 1939 to 1950. Despite playing in the Negro leagues, the team occasionally employed white-skinned Hispanic baseball players as well, because Hispanics in ...

Minor leagues

Smith ended his career in 1953, dividing his playing time with the

Statesboro Pilots The Statesboro Pilots were a minor league baseball team based in Statesboro, Georgia Statesboro is the largest city and county seat of Bulloch County, Georgia, United States, located in the southeastern part of the state. Statesboro is home to ...

of the

Georgia State League The Georgia State League was an American Class D minor league in professional baseball that existed in 1906, 1914, 1920–1921 and 1948–1956. During its last incarnation, it existed alongside two nearby Class D circuits, the Georgia–Florida Le ...

and the

Fond du Lac Panthers The Fond du Lac Panthers were a Wisconsin State League minor league baseball team that played in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, from 1940 to 1953. Notable alumni * Ray Powell (1942) *Harry Rice (1940–1941) *Charley Pride Charley Frank Pride (Marc ...

of the

Wisconsin State League The Wisconsin State League was a class D baseball league that began in 1905, changing its name to the Wisconsin–Illinois League in 1908 and operating through 1914. The league re–organized under that name in 1926. Another Wisconsin State League ...

.Baseball Reference Minor Leagues – Gene Smith career
/ref>

Death

Smith was a long resident of

Richmond Heights, Missouri Richmond Heights is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, St. Louis County, Missouri. It is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis, Missouri, United States. The population was 8,603 at the 2010 census. According to Robert L. Ramsay (academic), Robert L. ...

, where he died at the age of 95, following a

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...

Sources

External References

an
Seamheads
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Gene 1916 births 2011 deaths Atlanta Black Crackers players Chicago American Giants players Cleveland Buckeyes players Homestead Grays players Kansas City Monarchs players St. Louis–New Orleans Stars players New York Black Yankees players Pittsburgh Crawfords players Ethiopian Clowns players Fond du Lac Panthers players Statesboro Pilots players African-American baseball players United States Army personnel of World War II Baseball players from Louisiana People from Jackson Parish, Louisiana 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American people