Edgar Smith (December 14, 1913 – January 2, 1994) was a

starting pitcher In baseball (hardball or softball), a starting pitcher or starter is the first pitcher in the game for each team. A pitcher is credited with a game started if they throw the first pitch to the opponent's first batter of a game. Starting pitc ...

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) ...

who played for the

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oakl ...

(1936–1939),

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

(1939–1943, 1946–1947) 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 eig ...

(1947). Smith was a switch-hitter and threw left-handed. He was born in Mansfield Township, Burlington County, New Jersey. In a 10-season career, Smith posted a 73–113 record with 694 strikeouts and a 3.82 ERA in 1,595

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning ...

. Joe DiMaggio started his 56-game hitting streak on May 15, 1941 by getting one hit in four at bats against Smith. Later that year, Smith was selected to represent the White Sox on 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 ...

's All-Star team. He entered

1941 Major League Baseball All-Star Game The 1941 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the ninth playing of the mid-summer classic between the all-star game, all-stars of the American League (AL) and National League (NL), the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was ...

on July 8 at Briggs Stadium as a relief pitcher in the eighth inning and allowed a two-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 is ...

to left-handed-hitting shortstop Arky Vaughan, putting the AL at a 5–3 disadvantage. But he set down the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...

squad in order in the ninth, and came away with the victory when

Ted Williams Theodore Samuel Williams (August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, primarily as a left fielder, for the Boston Red Sox from 193 ...

hit a three-run, walk-off home run in the ninth, capping the Junior Circuit's rally.

Retrosheet Retrosheet is a nonprofit organization whose website features box scores of Major League Baseball (MLB) games from 1906 to the present, and play-by-play narratives for almost every contest since the 1930s. It also includes scores from every major ...

br>box score: 1941 MLB All-Star Game
/ref> Smith died in Willingboro Township, New Jersey, at the age of 80.

References

External links

Eddie Smith MLB
- Baseballbiography.com
Baseball Reference
1913 births 1994 deaths American League All-Stars Baseball players from New Jersey Boston Red Sox players Chicago White Sox players Hollywood Stars players Major League Baseball pitchers People from Mansfield Township, Burlington County, New Jersey Philadelphia Athletics players Sacramento Solons players Sportspeople from Burlington County, New Jersey Williamsport Grays players {{US-baseball-pitcher-1910s-stub