Ozzie Smith

(Osborne Earl Smith)

Thumb

Image Source Creative Commons logo

User Rating

(0 users)
Data Complete 60%

15%

Born
1954 (70 years old)
Shiny National flag

Mobile, United States

Position
Shortstop

Status
Retired

Ethnicity
Black

Team Number

Outfitter

Kit
Side
Both

Wage Year

Player Cutout
No Cutout thumb

Archive

Full Body Render
No Render Icon

Sport

Baseball

Team
_Retired Baseball

League
_No League Baseball

Creative Commons Artwork
Creative Commons logo

Yes

Description

Osborne Earl Smith (born December 26, 1954) is an American former professional baseball player. Nicknamed "The Wizard of Oz", Smith played shortstop for the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals in Major League Baseball, winning the National League Gold Glove Award for defensive play at shortstop for 13 consecutive seasons. A 15-time All-Star, Smith accumulated 2,460 hits and 580 stolen bases during his career, and won the National League Silver Slugger Award as the best hitter at shortstop in 1987. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2002. He was also elected to the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame in the inaugural class of 2014.

Smith was born in Mobile, Alabama; his family moved to Watts, Los Angeles, when he was six years old. While participating in childhood athletic activities, Smith possessed quick reflexes; he went on to play baseball at Locke High School in Los Angeles, then at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Drafted as an amateur player by the Padres, Smith made his major league debut in 1978. He quickly established himself as an outstanding fielder, and later became known for performing backflips on special occasions while taking his position at the beginning of a game. Smith won his first Gold Glove Award in 1980 and made his first All-Star Game appearance in 1981.

When Smith clashed with the Padres' owners, Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog flew to San Diego to persuade the shortstop that he would be an appreciated and core component of the St. Louis team. Herzog's overture worked; Smith waived his contract's "no trade" clause and was traded to the Cardinals for shortstop Garry Templeton in 1982.

Upon joining the Cardinals, Smith helped the team win the 1982 World Series. Three years later, his game-winning home run during Game 5 of the 1985 National League Championship Series prompted broadcaster Jack Buck's "Go crazy, folks!" play-by-play call. Despite a rotator cuff injury during the 1985 season, Smith posted career highs in multiple offensive categories in 1987. Smith continued to earn Gold Gloves and All-Star appearances annually until 1993. During the 1995 season, Smith had shoulder surgery and was out nearly three months. After tension with his new manager Tony La Russa developed in 1996, Smith retired at season's end, and his uniform number (No. 1) was subsequently retired by the Cardinals. Smith served as host of the television show This Week in Baseball from 1997 to 1998.

Trophies