The Reliever Who Accidentally Revolutionized Baseball

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Lee Smith was one of the most transformative figures in baseball, yet his secret contributions to the game often go overnoticed, even when he held onto a coveted record. In this video, we delve into the life and times of Lee Smith, known to many as the "Big Easy" but to me he's more than that.
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Music:
hopeless - Natsuki
AC/DC - Hells Bells (Cover)
Tedi Mercury x Alien Cake Music - Enter Sandman (lofi cover)
Big OC - Beryllium
https://bigoc.bandcamp.com/
ChiSonic - A Prayer for Peace
https://chisonic.bandcamp.com/
ChiSonic - A Walk on the Beach
ChiSonic - Empire State Blues
Soul Surfer 1999 - Theme From Dreamfest 1999
https://soulsurfer1999.bandcamp.com/
Big OC - Nitrogen
ChiSonic - Head Bop
ChiSonic - Sonic Funk
Breadth of the Wild OST - Zoras Domain
Doom 3 OST - Rip & Tear
Alfons Weindorf & Curtis Briggs - Futurevision
Big OC - Flourine
Vercetti - Apartment 3C
https://vercetti.bandcamp.com/
ChiSonic - Life and Times
Vercetti - Vice Port
Chisonic - Exit Plans

Sources -
Fireman: The Evolution of the Closer in Baseball Fran Zimniuch 2010 Triumph Books
https://www.si.com/mlb/2013/12/06/jaw...
https://www.si.com/mlb/2015/12/17/jaw...
https://baseballhall.org/discover/ins...
https://www.mlb.com/news/save-no-479-...
https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/lee-s...
https://sportscollectorsdigest.com/ne...
https://www.chicagotribune.com/1987/0...
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-x....
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
https://andscape.com/features/lee-smi...
https://www.newspapers.com/image-view...
https://www.newspapers.com/image-view...
https://www.newspapers.com/image-view...
match=1&terms=%22Lee%20Smith%22
https://ourgame.mlblogs.com/the-close...
https://mosportshalloffame.com/induct...

Intro 0:00
The Reluctant Giant 5:21
A (somewhat brief) history of relievers 9:12
Early Major Career 13:47
The Player Vs The Person 19:20
1984 20:56
Cubs Prime 24:32
The Death of The Multi-Inning Save 26:10
Rest of Career Prime 27:54
Outro 28:30