page_title: Phenomenal Smith
section_title: Philadelphia and Pittsburgh
hierarchical_section_title: Phenomenal Smith / Professional baseball player / Philadelphia and Pittsburgh
caption_attribution_description: English: Old Judge tobacco card of Phenomenal Smith
context_page_description: John Francis "Phenomenal" Smith, 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 win-loss record with a 3.89 earned run average 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.
context_section_description: In early October 1888, the Philadelphia Athletics purchased Smith from the Baltimore Orioles for $1000 or $1500. He pitched three games for the Athletics at the end of the 1888 season, compiling a 2–1 record and a 2.86 ERA. In the first half of the 1889 season, he went 2–3 with a 4.40 ERA for the Athletics. In early June 1889, Smith was released by the Athletics. He finished the 1889 season playing for Hartford in the Atlantic Association.
  Smith played in the National League in 1890 for the Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Alleghenys. He compiled a 9–15 record and a 4.06 ERA in 29 games as pitcher.
  At the start of the 1891 season, Smith was released by Pittsburgh and re-signed by the Phillies. Smith appeared in three games as pitcher for the 1891 Phillies and compiled a 1–1 record with a 4.26 ERA. He appeared in his last major league game on June 15, 1891, at age 26.
caption: Smith, c. 1888, with Philadelphia
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