| Chris Smith | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Smith with thePhoenix Giantsc. 1983 | |
| First baseman /Outfielder | |
| Born: (1957-07-18)July 18, 1957 (age 68) Torrance, California, U.S. | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
| Professional debut | |
| MLB: May 14, 1981, for the Montreal Expos | |
| NPB: April 6, 1984, for the Yakult Swallows | |
| Last appearance | |
| MLB: October 2, 1983, for the San Francisco Giants | |
| NPB: May 5, 1985, for the Yakult Swallows | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .289 |
| Home runs | 1 |
| Runs batted in | 11 |
| NPB statistics | |
| Batting average | .202 |
| Home runs | 5 |
| Runs batted in | 18 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
Christopher William Smith (born July 18, 1957) is an American former professionalbaseball player. He played as afirst baseman andleft fielder inMajor League Baseball andNippon Professional Baseball.
Smith attended the University of Southern California from 1976 to 1978. He was a starting member on the varsity baseball team since his freshman year where he hit third in the lineup all three years. He was selected to play for theUSA team against theJapan in 1977 and 1978, where he met some very special friends from the Japanese national team, Tatsunori Hara and his close friend Suguru Egawa, which Christopher roomed with at USC in 1978, where the Trojans won the national title inOmaha, Nebraska.
After touring Japan with the USA All Stars in 1978, Christopher signed a professional contract with theTexas Rangers. In his first year professionally, he hit .331, third highest in the Texas League. He was traded to the Montreal Expos the next year forRusty Staub where he hit .327 in the International league,Wichita Aeros, AAA affiliate of theMontreal Expos. The next year he was traded to theSan Francisco Giants forJim Wohlford, where he played in the Pacific Coast League AAA affiliate of the Giants winning the batting title hitting .378 in 1983. He proceeded to play in the Major Leagues with the Montreal Expos in 1981 and 1982, and San Francisco Giants where in 1983, he finished the year hitting .328. One of his highlights in the major leagues, was at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, where he hit a three-run home run to beat the Cincinnati Reds in the top of the ninth inning going 2-for-5 for the day.
After his career in the MLB, he signed at the time, the most lucrative three-year contract ever, with theYakult Swallows of theNippon Professional Baseball (NPB). His only regret was not signing with theYomiuri Giants, who at the time, offered him two years, instead of three. In two seasons with the Swallows, he played in 68 total games, having 36 hits with five home runs and 18 RBIs for a .202 batting average.
Smith has lived in Japan since 1995 where he considers his home after meeting a former model and TV broadcaster whom he married in 2003. They have twins, one boy and one girl.
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