Mark Smith (baseball Outfielder)
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Mark Edward Smith (born May 7, 1970) 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 leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...
outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...
. He played in
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), ...
(MLB) for the
Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...
, Pittsburgh Pirates,
Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The fran ...
,
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 ...
, and Milwaukee Brewers. Smith also played for 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
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 ...
(NPB), and the
Hanwha Eagles The Hanwha Eagles ( ko, 한화 이글스) are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Daejeon. They are a member of the KBO League. The Eagles' home ballpark is Daejeon Hanbat Baseball Stadium. The Eagles have won the Korean Series on ...
of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).


College career

Mark Smith played college baseball at the
University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...
. In 1990, Smith played collegiate summer baseball for the
Wareham Gatemen The Wareham Gatemen are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Wareham, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Gatemen play their home games at Clem Spillane Fie ...
of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL). He batted .408 and led the Gatemen to the league title. Smith was named league MVP and was inducted into the CCBL Hall of Fame in 2011.


Professional career

Mark Smith began his professional career with the
Frederick Keys The Frederick Keys are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. The Keys are based in Frederick, Maryland. The franchise is named for "Star-Spangled Banner" writer Francis Scott Key, a native of Frederick County. A new team masc ...
in 1991. His best minor league season was in 1992 with the Class AA
Hagerstown Suns The Hagerstown Suns were a Minor League Baseball team based in Hagerstown, Maryland. They were a member of the South Atlantic League and, from 2007 through 2020, were the Class A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They played their home ga ...
, where he was selected as an outfielder for the Eastern League End of Season All Star Team, Smith played Major League Baseball between 1994 and 2003 for the
Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...
, Pittsburgh Pirates,
Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The fran ...
,
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 ...
and Milwaukee Brewers. In 1999, he played in Japan for 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 ...
. In 2005, he played in
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
for the
Hanwha Eagles The Hanwha Eagles ( ko, 한화 이글스) are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Daejeon. They are a member of the KBO League. The Eagles' home ballpark is Daejeon Hanbat Baseball Stadium. The Eagles have won the Korean Series on ...
, but was released on the regular season. What may be regarded as the most noteworthy of Smith's accomplishments on the baseball diamond occurred on July 12, 1997. Smith hit a 3-run
home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
off of
John Hudek John Raymond Hudek (born August 8, 1966) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played all or part of six seasons in the majors, from until , for five different teams. He appeared in a total of 194 major league games, all in relief Re ...
in the bottom of the 10th inning in a scoreless game to give the Pittsburgh Pirates a 3-0 win over the Houston Astros. The home run also ended the first extra-innings combined no-hitter in MLB history. Francisco Córdova no-hit the Astros in the first 9 innings, while reliever
Ricardo Rincón Ricardo Rincón Espinoza (born April 13, 1970) is a Mexican former professional baseball relief pitcher. Career Rincón was a left-handed specialist who spent nearly his entire career as a middle reliever and setup pitcher. In his 11-year caree ...
pitched a hitless 10th inning for the Pirates.


Award for heroism

In 2001, Smith received the
Steve Palermo Stephen Michael Palermo (October 9, 1949 – May 14, 2017) was an umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the American League from 1977 to 1991. His field career ended when he was shot in the back following his decision to intervene and ap ...
Award for heroism from the Baseball Assistance Team (B.A.T.) for his actions in July 2000, when he rescued a man whose car had crashed and was on fire.NY Times article
/ref>


References


External links


Nippon Professional BaseballThe Baseball GaugeVenezuela Winter LeagueCareer statistics and player information
from Korea Baseball Organization {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Mark 1970 births Living people All-American college baseball players American expatriate baseball players in Canada American expatriate baseball players in Japan American expatriate baseball players in South Korea Baltimore Orioles players Baseball players from Pasadena, California Bowie Baysox players Calgary Cannons players Carolina Mudcats players Florida Marlins players Frederick Keys players Hagerstown Suns players Hanwha Eagles players Indianapolis Indians players KBO League outfielders Leones del Caracas players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Major League Baseball left fielders Major League Baseball right fielders Milwaukee Brewers players Montreal Expos players Nashville Sounds players Ottawa Lynx players Pittsburgh Pirates players Rochester Red Wings players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons players USC Trojans baseball players Wareham Gatemen players Yakult Swallows players