San Francisco Giants: 3 forgotten Dodgers who played for the G-Men

San Francisco Giants: 3 forgotten Dodgers who played for the G-Men

Brickyard Kennedy

Brickyard Kennedy played twelve seasons for the Dodgers including times when the club was not even known as the Dodgers yet.  The club was known as the Grooms, Bridegrooms, and the Brooklyn Superbas during Brickyard’s tenure with the franchise which spanned from 1892 to 1901.  Kennedy still ranks fourth all-time in wins for the Dodgers with 177 wins.

For this instance, many fans might not know Brickyard Kennedy played for the Giants because this was long before their time.  In  February of 1902, Kennedy crossed enemy lines as he was signed by the New York Giants and finished that season with an ERA of 3.96 and made just six starts for the Giants as he was then purchased by the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Kennedy played the final season of his career with the Pirates in 1903.

Reggie Smith

Although Reggie Smith played for the Red Sox and Cardinals before becoming a Los Angeles Dodger, arguably the best years of Smith’s career came with the Dodgers.  Reggie Smith played for the Dodgers from 1976 through 1981.  Smith currently ranks in the Dodgers’ top ten all-time for slugging percentage (.572) and on-base plus slugging percentage (.915).  After the conclusion of the 1981 season, in which the Dodgers won the World Series, Smith signed with the hated San Francisco Giants.

Oddly enough, prior to becoming a Giant in 1982, Reggie Smith went up into the stands and got into a fight with Giants fan Michael Dooley, who taunted Smith when he was a member of the Giants.  Still, that did not stop the former Dodger from signing with the rivals to the north.  In his one season with the San Francisco Giants, Smith hit .284 with 18 home runs.  That was his final season in the big leagues before Reggie went to Japan to play for the Yomiuri Giants for two years.