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For other persons named Lonnie Smith, see Lonnie Smith (disambiguation).

Lonnie Smith is an U.S. baseball player born December 22, 1955 in Chicago, Illinois. He made his debut for the Philadelphia Phillies on September 2, 1978 and later played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Baltimore Orioles. Smith played his final game on August 10, 1994.

Smith was a 1982 National League All-Star, finishing second in league Most Valuable Player voting that season, and also receiving votes for the award in 1983 (finishing 21st) and 1989 (finishing 11th). He led his league in runs scored in 1982, in on-base percentage in 1989, and in times hit by pitch from 1982 through 1984. Additionally, he was named Comeback Player of the Year in 1989, and won three World Series titles with three different clubs (1980 Philadelphia Phillies, 1982 St. Louis Cardinals and 1985 Kansas City Royals). In a less positive vein, Smith is also remembered for his role in the Pittsburgh drug trials where he admitted to cocaine abuse and was suspended for the 1986 season (his and six other players' season-long suspensions were later reduced to anti-drug donations and community service). Smith is also remembered for a key baserunning blunder in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series, which cost him his fourth world championship with a fourth franchise (the Braves).

Despite having a successful major league career, Smith is remembered by many for a baserunning blunder late in Game Seven of the 1991 World Series against the Minnesota Twins. Smith was on first base with no outs in the eighth inning of a scoreless game when Terry Pendleton lined a double to left field. It appeared that Smith would be able to score on the play but, as he was rounding second base, he stopped and stumbled. Smith maintains that he lost sight of the ball in the Metrodome roof but television replays showed that Twins second baseman Chuck Knoblauch deceived Smith by appearing to take the throw from the outfield. Regardless of the cause, Smith only reached third base and was left on base by Twins pitcher Jack Morris. The Twins went on to win 1-0 in ten innings to clinch Minnesota's second world championship.

Preceded by

Tim Leary

NL Comeback Player of the Year

Succeeded by

John Tudor

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Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonnie_Smith"

Categories: NPOV disputes | 1955 births | Living people | Major league outfielders | Atlanta Braves players | Baltimore Orioles players | Kansas City Royals players | Philadelphia Phillies players | Pittsburgh Pirates players | St. Louis Cardinals players | National League All-Stars | Major league players from Illinois | African American baseball players | Baseball players suspended for drug offenses | People from Chicago

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