Chicago Cubs: Lee Smith finally gets the HOF honor he deserves

Former Chicago Cubs closer Lee Smith was (finally) inducted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Saturday. Here’s a brief history of Smith’s journey.

Perhaps one of the most difficult roles to fill in Major League Baseball is that of a dominating closer. Today, legends like Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman are revered for their dominance and important contributions to a team’s success.

But when Lee Smith was moved to the bullpen to fill the closer role in the late 1979, it was seen as a “slap in the face” to Smith.

Former Chicago Cubs All-Star catcher Randy Hundley was Smith’s manager for the Midland Cubs at the time. Little did Hundley know, his decision would lead the 6’5”, 220 lb pitcher to walk away from the game and try his hand at basketball.

Luckily, those in Cubs management roles saw the potential in Smith to thrive in his new position.

Fortunately, now fellow Cubs Hall of Famer Billy Williams was able to convince Smith to return to baseball and not give up on his promising path.

40 years and 478 career saves later, it’s all culminating in Smith’s induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday.

Safe to say, everything worked out just fine. Smith was baseball’s all-time saves leader until being surpassed by Trevor Hoffman in 2006. Today, he’s third all-time behind Hoffman and Mariano Rivera.

Not bad company.

Though Smith would go on to play for seven other big league clubs, he spent more time in a Cubs uniform than with any other team. 180 of his 478 saves came in the blue pinstripes.

Famous for taking long naps before duty called at the end of the game, Smith is a legend both on and off the field. With his endearing charisma and giant teddy bear-like build, he’s been an excellent ambassador for the game for years.

With his induction, Smith becomes the 17th player inducted into the Hall of Fame as a Cub. He’s the first Cubs closer to earn the honor.

Perhaps the next honor for Smith could be the retirement of his jersey number in the Cubs organization.

After all, there’s one more flag on the left field foul pole than the right field.