Rufus Smith | |
---|---|
Pitcher | |
Born: | January 24, 1905|
Died: August 21, 1984 Aiken, South Carolina | (aged 79)|
Batted: Right Threw: Left | |
MLB debut | |
October 2, 1927, for the Detroit Tigers | |
Last MLB appearance | |
October 2, 1927, for the Detroit Tigers | |
MLB statistics | |
Games pitched | 1 |
Earned run average | 3.38 |
Strikeouts | 2 |
Teams | |
Rufus Frazier "Shirt" Smith (January 24, 1905 – August 21, 1984) was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He played in one game for the Detroit Tigers on October 2, 1927.
Smith played college baseball at Guilford College where he formed a battery with catcher Rick Ferrell. While pitching at Guilford, he caught the attention of a New England millionaire who signed Smith to one of his semi-pro teams in Massachusetts. At the end of the summer, he enrolled at Brown University. While pitching for a team in East Douglas, Massachusetts in 1927, he caught the attention of a Tigers scout, signed a contract and received a signing bonus of $5,000 (equivalent to $87,700 in 2023).[1]