Mark Smith, 1994 Score Select #408

It's Mark Smith's 43rd birthday today, which is the kind of information that you're only going to get here...or through a quick Google search...or by reading the back of a 20-year-old baseball card. Ahem. Anywise, help yourself to a hearty stew of Mark Smith Fun Facts!

• There have been two Mark Smiths in MLB history. The first was a righthanded pitcher who gave up 11 runs on 24 hits in 14.2 innings for the Athletics in 1983. Therefore, the Orioles' Mark Smith is the greatest Mark Smith to ever play the game. (The 13 Mark Smiths who have played in the minors, but not the majors, look at Mark's career OPS of .719 and marinate in their own envy.)
• Mark was the Birds' first-round pick, ninth overall, in the 1991 draft. Players chosen later in that round include Manny Ramirez, Cliff Floyd, and Shawn Green. Of course, Al Shirley, Scott Ruffcorn, and Tom McKinnon were also later first-round picks that year, so why second-guess?
• According to Baseball Reference, Smith's agent was Arn Tellem. I always thought that was a funny name. Just roll it around on your tongue.
• Mark played 67 total games with the O's from 1994-1996. He had a pair of three-hit games. They came on back-to-back days: August 25 and August 26, 1995.
• On September 22, 1995, Mark Smith was intentionally walked in the ninth inning with the Orioles leading the Brewers 10-3. Jeffrey Hammonds had just hit a one-out double, and Jeff Huson was on deck. Huson was retired on a foul pop to third base, and Jarvis Brown struck out, so I guess Phil Garner's strategy...worked? It was one of four career intentional walks for Smith.
• He hit seven home runs as an Oriole. So did Jake Fox, Jeff Tackett, and pitcher Jack Harshman, among others.
• Smith started four games in center field for the Expos in 2001, which suggests that Felipe Alou was just making sure that everyone was paying attention. For what it's worth, Mark handled nine chances without an error.

Mark Smith, 1994 Score Rookies/Traded #RT108

I've been watching Orioles games attentively for about 17 years now. In that time, I've seen plenty of exciting games: historical moments, improbable rallies, ninth-inning escapes, and walkoff wins. But for some reason, the earliest of those last-at-bat victories that I can remember happened in 1996 - three years after I began rooting for the Birds in earnest.

Of course, that ended up being a memorable season for other reasons, as the O's broke a major league record by smashing 257 home runs en route to the American League Wild Card (their first playoff appearance since 1983) and a postseason upset of the defending A.L. champion Indians. But on the date in question - Saturday, June 22, 1996 - the team hadn't quite put it into gear yet. They'd started the year 11-2, but had been playing sub-.500 ball since and sat three games behind the Yankees as they took the field. It was an afternoon game against the Royals, being televised on Fox. It seems inconceivable now that such a matchup would be nationally televised, but the mid-90s were a simpler time. I even recall that Baltimore was wearing its snappy new black alternate jerseys, which thankfully went over better than the previous year's gray cap horror. But I digress.

Anyway, I was watching the game by myself, enjoying the seeming endless summer before my freshman year of high school. Scott Erickson started for the Orioles and pitched a fine enough game, allowing three runs on eight hits and three walks. Those totals may look high, but errors by Rafael Palmeiro and Bobby Bonilla led to a two-run first inning for K.C., and after David Howard's run-scoring fielder's choice in the second, Scotty kept the visitors off of the scoreboard for the rest of the game.

Unfortunately, the O's bats were downright anemic. Opposing starter Tim Belcher held them to two hits through eight innings (including a string of 12 straight batters retired) and took the mound in the bottom of the ninth with a 3-0 lead that seemed more than sufficient. Luis Polonia (inexplicably getting the start at DH) hit a grounder right back to Belcher, and there were undoubtedly many fans searching for the exits at Oriole Park.

That's when the fireworks started.

Roberto Alomar lined a double to center field, and Palmeiro atoned for his earlier mistake by crushing a two-run homer over the right-center field fence. Suddenly it was a one-run game and Belcher was history. In came closer Jeff Montgomery, he of the 304 career saves, to try to shut the door. With redemption being the theme of the inning, Bobby Bonilla greeted Montgomery with a game-tying home run. Now it was a whole new game, and all of the momentum was with the good guys. Looking rattled, the Royals pitcher walked Cal Ripken, Jr. before recovering to retire B. J. Surhoff on a deep fly ball to left field. With two outs and the winning run on first base, it was up to 26-year-old left fielder Mark Smith to avoid extra innings. Coming into the game, he had only 161 career plate appearances in 51 games...

Evidently Mark wasn't big on suspense. He launched the second pitch of the at-bat over the wall for a game-winning two-run homer and was mobbed at the plate! Orioles 5, Royals 3. Having relived it with the help of Retrosheet, I'd kind of like to find video of that whole inning.

As a postscript, that was the fifth home run of Smith's career. He would hit only 32 in his career, and never reached double digits in any season. That's baseball for you.

Mark Smith, 1992 Upper Deck #66

I've got a bit of writers' block tonight, so let's do a little sign-gazing. (You may have to click the picture to enlarge it and play along.) One of the small-time, quirky charms of minor league baseball is the copious advertising on the outfield fence, and Harry Grove Stadium in Frederick, Maryland is no exception. At top left I see "FCNB", which I assume is/was a bank in Frederick. There's a stylized "M" with the rest of the sign obscured by Mark Smith's bat; I believe that's a Miller beer sign. The Pepsi logo is easily visible. Above and to the right of that is a graphic featuring some vertebrae and the wordmark of Yalich Clinic, a local chiropractor. I remember seeing their commercials as a kid. At the far right, above the yellow sign, is an ad for Canon printers and copiers. The rest of our fine sponsors are indistinguishable to me; feel free to clarify any that I've missed in the comments.

Mark Smith and Scott Klingenbeck, 1995 Topps #631

Continued from Johnny Oates

It was a beautiful day for baseball, 71 degrees and sunny at game time. We took our seats in the right field bleachers, the first time I had ever seen Oriole Park from that vantage point. I immediately fell in love with that section of the ballpark, with the entire field laid out in front of me and the right fielder so close that it seemed that I could reach out and touch him. I've gone to a few dozen games since then, and sat everywhere from the very last row of the upper reserve to box seats right behind home plate, but the bleachers are still my personal favorite.

When I know that I'm going to a baseball game, I've always taken a special interest in the starting pitching assignments. In my mind, it seems that I was never lucky enough to catch Mike Mussina when he was the ace of the Oriole staff, though I have watched enemy pitchers like Randy Johnson and Tim Hudson stymie the Birds. This particular day was no different. The O's had been caught a little shorthanded, and plucked some untested rookie from AA Bowie for an emergency start. The kid was a slightly stocky righthander named Scott Klingenbeck.

So, how did the kid do? Not bad at all. Despite allowing six hits and walking four, he hung in for seven innings. Klingenbeck allowed four runs (three earned) but struck out five to help his cause. Most impressive of all, he bounced back after being touched up for three runs in the third inning, retiring 13 of the last 15 Tiger hitters he faced. But would it be enough to pick up a win in his major league debut?

P. S.: This is the only card I have of Scott in an Orioles uniform, and I couldn't even find any on eBay. He appeared in six games for the O's in 1995 before being traded to the Twins for Scott Erickson. Not a bad deal for then-GM Roland Hemond near the end of his storied career.

To be continued tomorrow.