Cubs legends Lee Smith, Fergie Jenkins still share unique bond 40 years later
Blue jackets adorned Wrigley Field on Friday, as the Chicago Cubs honored their Hall of Famers by inviting them to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the 2025 home opener against the San Diego Padres.
Among that group of legends was Baseball Hall of Famer Lee Smith, who joined Marquee Sports Network’s Cole Wright and Cliff Floyd on “Cubs Live!” for a wide-ranging interview Sunday.
Smith, the Cubs’ all-time saves leader with 180, said the atmosphere at The Friendly Confines was” “Unbelievable! It started at the airport for me. Just to see all the guys getting ready, it was unbelievable, man.”
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Smith lovingly spoke of his relationship with fellow Baseball Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins, saying of his former Cubs teammate: “I think I threw him more pitches than I did [catcher] Jody Davis.”
Smith and Jenkins, who played together on the 1982 and 1983 Cubs, still share a special bond to this day, with Fergie referring to Lee by the nickname he gave him over 40 years ago: The Peashooter.
Smith told Wright and Floyd how how he gained that nickname.
“He [Fergie] wanted me to pitch because he wanted me to learn how to be a pitcher. Not just blowing guys away,” Smith said. “Because he gave me that nickname, The Peashooter. And I’m like, ‘What’s The Peashooter?’ and he said, ‘You are throwing peas at the knees.’ And that was the one thing that I love that he gave me.”
[MORE: Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins discusses his pitch grips, repertoire]
Smith, who went into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019, played eight seasons for the Cubs, from 1980 to 1987.
Watch Smith’s full “Cubs Live!” interview below: