Hilton Smith

CTL-E-6956 · Person · other · 1907–1983

VERIFIED evidence grade — build store (JSON graph)

Combined Graph record U-07828 · provenance: build store (JSON graph), record CTL-E-6956.

Hilton Lee Smith (born February 27 in Giddings, Texas — the Hall of Fame gives the year as 1907, while Encyclopedia.com's biography gives 1912; the split is shown rather than blended — died November 18, 1983, Kansas City, Missouri) was a right-handed pitcher for the Kansas City Monarchs, long overshadowed by his teammate Satchel Paige. After pitching for the Monroe Monarchs from 1932 to 1935, he joined Kansas City in 1936–1937 and remained through his retirement in 1948. On May 16, 1937, in his first full Monarchs season, he pitched a no-hitter against the Chicago American Giants and finished the campaign 11–3 with a 2.65 ERA in league games, per the Hall of Fame. The Hall credits him with six consecutive East-West All-Star selections from 1937 to 1942 and seven Monarchs pennants, and its league statistics line reads 66–35 with a 2.86 ERA. After retiring he coached and scouted, eventually for the Chicago Cubs. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001, eighteen years after his death.

The record

• Also known as: Hilton Lee Smith

Notes

Sports Encyclopedia roster CTL-SPE-0257. Firsts disposition: NO first asserted. Birth-year split shown, not blended: 1907 (National Baseball Hall of Fame; TSHA) vs. 1912 (Encyclopedia.com) — the era field follows the Hall of Fame's 1907. All-Star count is stated as the Hall states it in each account (six consecutive selections, 1937-1942, in its career account; 'seven-time All-Star' in its Class of 2001 account) without blending. Hall of Fame election 2001 verified (Hall, two accounts; TSHA; Encyclopedia.com). Curator's Judgment (DRAFT): Smith's record is the standing rebuke to fame-driven history — the Monarchs' pennants ran through his curveball as surely as through Paige's fastball, and the Hall's 2001 correction came eighteen years too late for him to hear it. Photo: HELD — see visual_assets basis (postcard artwork rights not verified; team photograph does not name him).

Relationships

• Kansas City Monarchs — played for
  Hilton Smith joined the Kansas City Monarchs in 1936-1937 and pitched for them until his retirement after the 1948 season (National Baseball Hall of Fame; Texas State Historical Association).

Sources

• National Baseball Hall of Fame. "Hilton Smith crafted legendary Negro Leagues career." Accessed 2026-11-03. (primary source · build store)
• National Baseball Hall of Fame. "Mazeroski, Smith join Class of 2001." Accessed 2026-11-03. (primary source · build store)
• Texas State Historical Association. "Smith, Hilton Lee." Handbook of Texas. Accessed 2026-11-03. (build store)
• Encyclopedia.com. "Smith, Hilton 1912–1983." Accessed 2026-11-03. (build store)

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Record CTL-E-6956 · Combined Graph record U-07828 · CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph · 4 sources · 1 mapped relationship.
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Researched and maintained by the CultureTechLens research program · CultureTechLens Combined Graph, Release 2026-11-04. Corrections are public: the corrections log.

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