John Francis "Phenomenal" Smith (December 12,1864 – April 3,1952),born as John Francis Gammon,was an American professional baseball player and player-manager from 1884 to 1905. He played eight seasons in Major League Baseball,principally as a pitcher,for six different clubs.
In his eight seasons in the major leagues,Smith appeared as a pitcher in 140 games and compiled a 54–74 (.422) win–loss record with a 3.89 earned run average (ERA) and 519 strikeouts. He saw his most extensive playing time with the Baltimore Orioles of the American Association,compiling a 41–50 win–loss record during the 1887 and 1888 seasons.
Smith later served as a player-manager in the minor leagues from the early 1890s through 1905. He was credited with discovering Christy Mathewson in 1899 and developing him into an outstanding pitcher during the 1900 season.
Smith was born in Manayunk,now a neighborhood in northwest Philadelphia,in 1864. [1] [2]
Smith began his professional baseball career at age 18 playing for the Baltimore club in the National Association in 1883. [2] In 1884,he played one game as pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics and another for the Pittsburgh Alleghenys. He compiled an 0–2 win–loss record and a 6.35 earned run average (ERA) in his first season in the major leagues. [1]
Smith spent most of the 1885 and 1886 seasons playing with the Newark Little Giants of the Eastern League. He appeared in 20 games as a pitcher for Newark in 1885 and struck out 214 batters. [3] [4] As of 1921,the only pitchers to have attained an average of 10 strikeouts per game were Smith (1885),Baseball Hall of Fame inductee John Clarkson (418 strikeouts in 41 games in his first minor league season) and Eddie Knuff (390 strikeouts in 39 games for Memphis,1886). [4] He reportedly received the nickname "Phenomenal" after pitching a no-hitter against Baltimore on October 3,1885. Only two batters reached base,one on an error and one on a base on balls,and Smith picked off both runners at first base. [2]
In 1886,Smith appeared in 33 games as a pitcher for Newark. He threw 33 complete games and compiled a 22–10 record with a 0.74 ERA. [3]
Smith also played briefly during the 1885 and 1886 seasons for the Brooklyn Grays (one game,1885),Philadelphia Athletics (one game,1885),and Detroit Wolverines (three games,1886). In his five major league games during the 1885 and 1886 seasons,Smith compiled a 1–3 record with a 5.11 ERA. [1]
In his first and only game for Brooklyn,on June 17,1885,Smith's teammates were reported to have intentionally committed 14 errors to punish Smith for his perceived brash and cocky demeanor. Brooklyn lost the game,18–5. All 18 were initially scored as unearned‚but record books indicate that 11 of the runs were earned. He reportedly claimed that he was so good that he did not need his teammates to win. The intentional misplays of his teammates caused club President Lynch to fine the guilty players $500 each‚but he instead released Smith "to ensure team harmony." [5] [6] [7]
Smith saw his most extensive playing time in the major leagues with the Baltimore Orioles during the 1887 and 1888 seasons. In 1887,Smith appeared in 58 games as a pitcher for Baltimore,including 55 as a starter. He threw 54 complete games and pitched 491