Lonnie Smith (baseball)
A speedster whose thrilling base-stealing and clutch postseason hits powered three different teams to World Series glory, overcoming personal demons.
Born 1955 (age 71)·American baseball player·Birthday: December 22·Baby Boomers
Biography
Lonnie Smith's baseball journey was a rollercoaster of breathtaking speed and profound struggle. Nicknamed 'Skates' for his occasionally adventurous outfield routes, his true weapon was his legs, which terrorized pitchers and catchers throughout the 1980s. He debuted with a spark for the Phillies but found his stride as a catalyst for the Cardinals' 1982 championship. His career nearly derailed due to cocaine addiction, a battle he publicly confronted and overcame. This redemption arc peaked in 1991 with the Atlanta Braves, where his .333 average in a losing World Series effort nearly earned him MVP honors. Smith wasn't just fast; he was a winner, appearing in the Fall Classic with five different clubs and securing rings with three. His story is one of resilience, a player whose pure kinetic energy on the basepaths left an indelible mark on every team he touched.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Lonnie was born in 1955, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Lonnie Was Born
The biggest hits of 1955
#1 Movie
Lady and the Tramp
Best Picture
Marty
#1 TV Show
The $64,000 Question
Lonnie's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1955Born
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1960Started school
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1968Became a teenager
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1971Could drive
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1973Could vote
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Turned 21
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1985Turned 30
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 40
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 50
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 60
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2025Turned 70
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 71 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won World Series championships with three different franchises: the St. Louis Cardinals (1982), Kansas City Royals (1985), and Atlanta Braves (1995).
- Stole 370 bases in his career, ranking seventh in all of baseball during the decade of the 1980s.
- Finished second in National League MVP voting in 1989 after batting .315 with 25 homers and 21 steals for the Atlanta Braves.
- Was a key offensive contributor in five World Series appearances for five different teams over a 14-year span.
Did You Know?
He was named the 1980 NL Rookie of the Year by *The Sporting News* after hitting .339 in a late-season call-up for the Phillies.
His involvement in baseball's cocaine scandals of the 1980s was openly discussed, and he served as a witness in the Pittsburgh drug trials.
In the 1991 World Series, he was famously deked by Twins infielder Chuck Knoblauch on a critical play at second base, potentially costing the Braves a run in a pivotal Game 7.
He hit a memorable inside-the-park home run in the 1992 NLCS for the Atlanta Braves.
“My game was built on speed; it created havoc and it covered my mistakes.”
