- Phenomenal Smith
Infobox MLB retired
name=Phenomenal Smith
position=Pitcher
birthdate=December 12 ,1864
city-state|Philadelphia|Pennsylvania
deathdate=death date and age|1952|4|3|1864|12|12
city-state|Manchester|New Hampshire
bats=Left
throws=Left
debutdate=April 18
debutyear=by|1884
debutteam=Philadelphia Athletics
finaldate=June 15
finalyear=by|1891
finalteam=Philadelphia Phillies
stat1label=Win-Loss record
stat2label=ERA
stat3label=Strikeouts
stat1value=54-74
stat2value=3.89
stat3value=519
teams=
*Philadelphia Athletics (by|1884, by|1885, by|1888)–(by|1889)
*Pittsburgh Alleghenys (by|1884)
*Brooklyn Grays (by|1885)
*Detroit Wolverines (by|1886)
*Baltimore Orioles (by|1887–by|1888)
*Philadelphia Phillies (by|1890–by|1891)
highlights=John Francis "Phenomenal" Smith, Born as John Francis Gammon, (
December 12 1864 –April 3 1952 ) was an AmericanMajor League Baseball player fromPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania who pitched for six different teams during his eight year career. [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/smithph01.shtml Baseball-Reference player page] ]Phenomenal
According to the Museum of New Hampshire History, Smith lived most of his life in
New Hampshire and got his nickname when he struck out 16 batters in a game in by|1885 while pitching for theNewark Domestics . [ [http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Phenomenal_Smith Baseball-Reference Bullpen] ] On June 17, 1885, while playing for the Brooklyn Grays, his team decided to punish him for his perceived brash and cocky demeanor by intentionally committing 14 "errors", losing the game 18-5. All 18 runs against the brash left-hander were at first scored as unearned‚ but record books indicate that 11 of the runs were earned. Having been nicknamed "Phenomenal", he reportedly claimed that he was so good that he didn't need his teammates to win. The intentional misplays of his teammates caused club President Lynch to fine the guilty players $500 each‚ but he reluctantly agrees to release Smith to ensure team harmony. [ [http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=Germany_Smith_1863&page=chronology The Baseball Library] ]Most of his playing time came with the Baltimore Orioles in the by|1887 and by|1888 seasons, winning 41 games as the second man in the pitching rotation to
Matt Kilroy .Post-Major League Baseball career
After his Major league career, he became a
minor league baseball manager andplayer-manager , winning the batting title in by|1903, and is credited with discovering theChristy Mathewson who later became a Hall of Fame pitcher for the New York Giants. [ [http://www.nhhistory.org/baseballquiz/baseball13.html Museum of New Hampshire History] ] He later became a member of the Manchester police department, from which he would retire, and would stay in the area. Smith died inManchester, New Hampshire at the age of 87, and was buried at St. Joseph Cemetery inBedford, New Hampshire . [ [http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=smithph01 Baseball Almanac player page] ]References
External links
Persondata
NAME = Smith, Phenomenal
ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Smith, John Francis; Gammon, John Francis
SHORT DESCRIPTION = Major League Baseball player
DATE OF BIRTH =December 12 1864
PLACE OF BIRTH =Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
DATE OF DEATH =April 3 1952
PLACE OF DEATH =Manchester, New Hampshire
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