Billy Mike Smithson (born January 21, 1955) is an American former

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) right-handed

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 the Texas Rangers, Minnesota Twins, and

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

from 1982 to 1989.

Amateur career

Smithson attended the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state ...

, and in 1975 he played collegiate summer baseball with the

Orleans Cardinals The Orleans Firebirds, formerly the Orleans Cardinals, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Orleans, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Firebirds play ...

of the Cape Cod Baseball League. He was selected by the Red Sox in the fifth round of the

1976 Major League Baseball Draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1976 Major League Baseball draft. ''*'' Did not sign Other notable Selections ''*'' Did not sign Background The 1976 Arizona State University team, considered by ma ...

Professional career

During the course of his seven-year minor league career, he participated in the longest baseball game in history between the

Pawtucket Red Sox The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate ...

and Rochester Red Wings during the 1981 season. During the early morning hours of Sunday, April 19, 1981, he worked the full 15th, 16th and 17th innings, and got two

outs In baseball, an out occurs when the umpire rules a batter or baserunner out. When a batter or runner is out, they lose their ability to score a run and must return to the dugout until their next turn at bat. When three outs are recorded in a ha ...

in the 18th inning before turning the ball over to Win Remmerswaal. Smithson allowed two hits and three bases on balls in 3 innings pitched—but no runs. The game was suspended after 32 innings, and resumed June 23; Smithson's PawSox won it in the bottom of the 33rd frame. After attending spring training with the 1982 Red Sox, Smithson was traded to the Rangers on April 9 for

left-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subject ...

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weat ...

John Henry Johnson John Henry Johnson (November 24, 1929 – June 3, 2011) was an American professional football player who was a running back. He was known for his excellence at the fullback position as both a runner and a blocker. His first professional stint ...

. He was recalled by the Rangers from the Triple-A

Denver Bears Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...

and began his MLB career late in August as a starting pitcher—the role he would play for much of his big-league tenure. As a member of the Twins, Smithson led the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

games started In baseball statistics, games started (denoted by GS) indicates the number of games that a pitcher has started for his team. A pitcher is credited with starting the game if he throws the first pitch to the first opposing batter. If a player is li ...

in and . He won 15 games in each season. The Red Sox brought Smithson back as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in , and he spent two seasons with them as a swing man, making 37 starts in 71 games. Along the way, he pitched against the Oakland Athletics in the

1988 American League Championship Series The 1988 American League Championship Series was a best-of-seven series that pitted the East Division champion Boston Red Sox against the West Division champion Oakland Athletics. It was the second meeting between the two in ALCS play. The Athlet ...

, his only postseason appearance, providing 2 innings of scoreless relief in Game 4, which Oakland won to complete a sweep over the Red Sox. Altogether, Smithson allowed 1,473 hits and 383 bases on balls in 1,356 innings of big-league work. He made 204 starts out of his 240 total games pitched, and recorded 731 strikeouts, 41 complete games, six

shutouts In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

and two saves. He retired after the campaign. In 2009, he was named to the University of Tennessee's All Century Team.

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet
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Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Winter League)

Mike Smithson
at

SABR The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is a membership organization dedicated to fostering the research and dissemination of the history and record of baseball primarily through the use of statistics. Established in Cooperstown, New ...

(Baseball BioProject) {{DEFAULTSORT:Smithson, Mike 1955 births Living people Baseball players from Tennessee Boston Red Sox players Bristol Red Sox players Denver Bears players Major League Baseball pitchers Minnesota Twins players Navegantes del Magallanes players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Orleans Firebirds players Pawtucket Red Sox players People from Centerville, Tennessee Portland Beavers players Tennessee Volunteers baseball players Tennessee Volunteers basketball players Texas Rangers players Winter Haven Red Sox players American men's basketball players