 Lee Arthur Smith ( born December 4 , 1957 ) is a retired American right @-@ handed baseball pitcher who played 18 years in Major League Baseball ( MLB ) for eight teams . Pitching primarily for the Chicago Cubs , with whom he spent his first eight seasons , Lee served mostly as a relief pitcher during his career . One of the dominant closers in baseball history , Smith held the major league record for career saves from 1993 until 2006 , when San Diego Padres relief pitcher Trevor Hoffman passed his final total of 478 . 
