St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Ozzie Smith reacts to his ninth-inning, game-winning home run in Game 5 of the 1985 NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers. (AP Photo/file)
Ozzie Smith was a defensive wiz but never a great hitter. The Hall of Famer posted a .262 career batting average, .337 on-base percentage, .328 slugging percentage and .666 OPS in 19 seasons.
And he struggled offensively during the playoffs, hitting .236 with a .325 on-base percentage, .292 slugging percentage and .617 OPS in 42 games and 144 at-bats.
He did hit well in the 1985 NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers, batting .435/.500/.696/1.196 in 23 at-bats. He homered to deep right field to win Game 5 of that series. He blasted a solo home run with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning, giving St. Louis a 3-2 win over the Dodgers.
St. Louis won the ’85 NLCS 4 games to 2, despite losing the first two games. Smith was the MVP.
However, Smith hit just .087 in 23 at-bats during the 1985 World Series and the Cardinals lost in seven games to the Kansas City Royals.
Smith’s home run to win Game 5 of the NLCS was his only postseason homer in 144 at-bats.
