Bill Smith
Pitcher
Born: April 1861
New Orleans, Louisiana
Died: May 24, 1928(1928-05-24) (aged 67)
New Orleans, Louisiana
Batted: Unknown
Threw: Right
MLB debut
July 6, 1886, for the Detroit Wolverines
Last MLB appearance
September 13, 1886, for the Detroit Wolverines
MLB statistics
Win–loss record5-4
ERA4.09
Strikeouts36
Teams

Frederick William Smith (born Schmidt) (April, 1861 – May 24, 1928) was an American professional baseball pitcher from 1886 to 1889. He played Major League Baseball for the Detroit Wolverines in 1886, compiling a 5-4 win–loss record and a 4.09 earned run average (ERA). A native of New Orleans, Louisiana, he also pitched for minor league baseball clubs in the southern United States and was reported to have pitched more than one no-hitter and to have once struck out 22 batters in a game and 70 batters in four games.

Early years

Smith was born in 1861 in New Orleans, Louisiana.[1] His parents, George Schmidt and Catherine (Kohlman) Schmidt were both immigrants to the United States from Germany.[2]

Professional baseball

Smith began his professional baseball career in 1886 as a minor league pitcher for the Southern Association club in Macon, Georgia. He compiled an 11-7 and 1.05 ERA for Macon in 1886.[3]

Smith next played for the Detroit Wolverines of the National League from July 6 to September 13, 1886. He started nine games as a pitcher for Detroit and also appeared in one game as an outfielder. He threw nine complete games and compiled a 5-4 record with a 4.09 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 77 innings pitched.[1]

A newspaper article in The Times-Picayune reported that Smith married a young lady from New Orleans' Sixth Ward shortly before leaving for Macon, Georgia, to join the Detroit team in early March 1887.[4] However, in April 1887, the Detroit club sold Smith for $500 to the Memphis Grays of the Southern League.[5] Smith played for Memphis from 1887 to 1889.[3][6][7] He compiled a 2-6 record and a 3.49 ERA for Memphis during the 1888 season.[3] He also played for the Mobile, Alabama, club during the 1889 season.[8]

According to Smith's obituary from The Times-Picayune, Smith was the first baseball player from New Orleans to gain nationwide fame. The obituary states that, in addition to the clubs mentioned above, he also played professional baseball for clubs in Columbus, Georgia, Savannah, Georgia, and "several local teams." According to the obituary, Smith pitched more than one no-hitter and once struck out 22 batters in a game and 70 batters in four games.[9]

Family and later years

Smith was married in March 1887 to Katherine Rapp.[2][4][10] After retiring from baseball, Smith returned to New Orleans. In 1900, Smith was employed as a cooper and was living in New Orleans with his wife, Katherine, and their four children: William (born August 1890), Louise (born April 1892), Katherine (born May 1894) and Helen (born August 1898).[2] In 1900, he worked in the warehouse of a cooperage.[11] He also worked in his later years as a clerk in a cotton warehouse.[9][12] He died in New Orleans in May 1928 at age 67.[9][13] He was buried at the Valence Street Cemetery in New Orleans.[1][14]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Billy Smith Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 1900 U.S. Census entry for William Schmidt, born April 1861 in Louisiana, parents born in Germany, married for 13 years. Census Place: New Orleans Ward 13, Orleans, Louisiana; Roll: 575; Page: 12B; Enumeration District: 0125; FHL microfilm: 1240575. Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line].
  3. 1 2 3 "Billy Smith Minor League Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  4. 1 2 "Baseball". The Times-Picayune. March 6, 1887.(article available on-line through ancestry.com)
  5. ↑ "Late News: Detroit Loses One of Her Pitchers" (PDF). The Sporting Life. April 13, 1887. p. 1.
  6. ↑ "Davy Force's Aggregation: Notes and Gossip About the Memphis Club and Players" (PDF). The Sporting Life. July 6, 1887. p. 1.("Billy Smith has been batted hard of late. What is the trouble, Billy?")
  7. ↑ "Notes and Comments" (PDF). The Sporting Life. March 20, 1889. p. 4.("So Far Manager Jimmy Woods, of Memphis, has signed Billy Smith, pitcher . . .")
  8. ↑ "Mobile vs. Chattanooga at Mobile June 16" (PDF). The Sporting Life. July 3, 1889. p. 7.("Billy Smith pitched for the home nine, and, although hit hard, the hits were scattered until the ninth inning, when the visitors pounded out seven runs and tied the score.")
  9. 1 2 3 "Man Who Fanned Twenty-two, Pitched No Hit Games Passes: Bill Schmidt, First Orleanian to Win Nationwide Fame as Baseball Player Dies at Age of 67". The Times-Picayune. May 27, 1928.(on-line copy of the obituary is available on ancestry.com)
  10. ↑ Ancestry.com. New Orleans, Louisiana, Marriage Records Index, 1831-1920 [database on-line].
  11. ↑ 1910 U.S. Census entry for William Schmidt, age 48, born in Louisiana, parents born in Germany, wife Katie and children, William, Jr., Louisa, Katie and Helen. Census Place: New Orleans Ward 13, Orleans, Louisiana; Roll: T624_524; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 0207; FHL microfilm: 1374537. Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line].
  12. ↑ 1920 U.S. Census entry for William Schmidt, age 58, born in Louisiana, parents born in Germany, wife Katie and children, Helen. Employed as a clerk in a cotton warehouse. Census Place: New Orleans Ward 13, Orleans, Louisiana; Roll: T625_624; Page: 7A; Enumeration District: 223; Image: 77. Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line].
  13. ↑ Death record for William F. Schmidt, age 67, born abt 1861, died 24 May 1928 . Source Citation: Orleans Death Indices 1918-1928; Volume: 196; Page: 1042. Ancestry.com. New Orleans, Louisiana, Death Records Index, 1804-1949 [database on-line].
  14. ↑ "Frederick William Smith". Find A Grave. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
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