(Updated Oct. 22, 2023)
In 1967, Reggie Smith hit two home runs for the Red Sox in the World Series against the Cardinals. Six years later, the Cardinals traded for Smith, hoping he could provide them with the power they needed.
On Oct. 26, 1973, the Cardinals dealt pitcher Rick Wise and outfielder Bernie Carbo to the Boston Red Sox for Smith and pitcher Ken Tatum.
Smith, a switch-hitting right fielder, and Wise were the key players. The Cardinals, who had the fewest home runs (75) in the National League in 1973, wanted a slugger and Boston needed a starting pitcher to compete with the deep staffs of the Athletics and Orioles in the American League.
In his autobiography, Cardinals general manager Bing Devine said of the deal, “You hated to trade a productive pitcher, but everything else being equal, if you could get a guy who plays every day for a guy who plays every four or five days, you do it.”
Turning pro
Born in Shreveport, La., and raised in Los Angeles, Smith was 16 when he learned to hit from both sides of the plate, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Two years later, he signed with the Minnesota Twins.
Smith played shortstop for a Twins farm club, Wytheville, Va., in the Appalachian League in 1963. Made available in the minor-league draft, he was taken by the Red Sox in December 1963.
Moved to the outfield, Smith hit .320 in 1966 for Toronto, a Class AAA club managed by Dick Williams. In 1967, Williams was the Red Sox manager and he selected Smith, 22, to be their center fielder. The 1967 Red Sox won the American League pennant and faced the Cardinals in the World Series. Smith hit a home run against Nelson Briles in Game 3 and another versus Dick Hughes in Game 6, but the Cardinals prevailed in seven games.
Smith led the American League in doubles in 1968 (37) and 1971 (33). He also was the 1971 league leader in total bases (302) and extra-base hits (65).
The Red Sox moved Smith from center to right in 1972 and he made the American League all-star team for the second time.
Bad vibes
The 1973 season was a troubled one for Smith. His knees ached. He got into a fight with teammate Bill Lee in the dugout. He felt unappreciated.
According to the Associated Press, Smith “became the target of boos in Boston when he missed a pair of routine fly balls in the outfield. The fans felt Smith was loafing, but the outfielder said he couldn’t reach the balls because of bad knees. Smith angrily labeled Boston a racist city and sat out for two weeks.”
In The Sporting News, Peter Gammons wrote of Smith, “He always was burdened with the pressure of becoming Boston’s first black (baseball) star, a role he could not fill. In his final year, he had become embittered with fans who got on him about his occasional lackadaisical play, had entanglements with teammates (most of whom were unsympathetic) and missed a month with injuries.”
Still, in 115 games for the 1973 Red Sox, Smith hit .303 with 21 home runs and had an on-base percentage of .398.
His friend and teammate, Carl Yastrzemski, told the Boston Globe, “I know what Reggie went through. He was hurt and people didn’t believe him. He went out and tried to play hurt, and when he looked bad, they ridiculed him. He was embarrassed. They tell you to go out and play when you’re hurt, and when you do and play badly, they boo the hell out of you.”
Power supply
The Cardinals saw Smith, 28, as a player who could boost their run production and join an outfield with Lou Brock in left and Bake McBride in center. In eight seasons with the Red Sox, Smith had 1,064 hits, including 149 home runs.
“Nobody can be a big home run hitter in our park (Busch Memorial Stadium),” Cardinals manager Red Schoendienst told The Sporting News, “but Smith should help our offense a lot.”
Ted Simmons and Joe Torre tied for the Cardinals’ 1973 season high in home runs, each with 13.
The Sporting News noted, “The addition of Smith should enable the Cardinals to lift some of the pressure off Ted Simmons especially and Joe Torre … All too often last season, especially when Torre was hurt or slumping, the enemy was able to pitch around Simmons.”
For Boston in 1973, Smith hit .290 with 17 homers versus right-handers and .339 with four homers against left-handers. He told the Post-Dispatch, “I’m a lowball hitter left-handed and like the pitch up and away from me right-handed. I’ve learned that because my stroke at bat is quicker left-handed, I hit the long ball more often that way. I hit more line drives right-handed and for better average.”
Regarding the trade to St. Louis, Smith said to the Boston Globe, “I’m happy to be going to the National League because there they challenge a hitter. I’m happy to be going to a club where I am needed … I got awfully tired of people saying that I never lived up to my potential. Everybody expected me to be a Willie Mays or a Hank Aaron. A superstar. Why couldn’t I just be Reggie Smith?”
In Wise, 28, Boston got a starter to join a rotation with Luis Tiant and Bill Lee.
Wise had a 32-28 record, 3.24 ERA, 34 complete games and seven shutouts in two seasons with St. Louis after the Cardinals acquired him from the Phillies for Steve Carlton. Wise was 16-16 for St. Louis in 1972 and 16-12 in 1973, when he started and won the All-Star Game for the National League.
How it turned out
Smith hit .309 for the 1974 Cardinals and had an on-base percentage of .389. He totaled 160 hits (including 23 home runs) and 71 walks. He also produced 100 RBI, the only time he reached that mark in his career.
In his book “Stranger to the Game,” Cardinals pitcher Bob Gibson said, “Reggie Smith was both talented and tough. He improved our lineup in virtually every respect … My affinity for Reggie Smith was a natural because we were very much alike … Smith was a very bright, thoughtful guy who was ready to fight if somebody looked at him wrong. I called him Spike because he reminded me of those spike-collared bulldogs on Saturday morning cartoons.”
(The Cardinals, who were eighth in the 12-team National League in runs scored in 1973, were fourth in runs scored in 1974 but still ranked last in home runs.)
Two years later, in June 1976, the Cardinals traded Smith to the Dodgers for catcher Joe Ferguson and two prospects, outfielder Bob Detherage and first baseman Freddie Tisdale.
In three seasons with St. Louis, Smith hit .293 and had a .371 on-base percentage. With the Dodgers, he played in three World Series (1977, 1978 and 1981). Smith played 17 seasons in the majors and finished with 2,020 hits, 1,092 RBI and a .366 on-base percentage.
An arm injury limited Wise to nine starts and a 3-4 record for the 1974 Red Sox. He won 19 for the Red Sox in 1975 and helped them win the American League pennant. He was the winning pitcher in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series when Carlton Fisk hit his walkoff home run against the Reds. In four seasons with Boston, Wise was 47-32 with a 3.96 ERA.
During the Cardinals’ first regular-season road trip in 1974, Tyson was assaulted and robbed in his hotel room.
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