This Date in Baseball History: December 4

Big Lee Smith was born on this date in 1957. At 6 foot 6 inches and 285 pounds (more or less) he was an intimidating presence on the mound. At his peak, his 95 mph fastball left most batters stunned. His best years were with the Cubs, Red Sox and Cardinals. When he retired in 1997, he had appeared in over 1,000 games and had a then-record 478 saves.

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