Hal Smith (smithha08)

From BR Bullpen

Harold Wayne Smith

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 6' 0", Weight 195 lb.

Debut April 11, 1955
Final Game July 22, 1964
Born December 7, 1930 in West Frankfort, IL USA

[edit] Biographical Information

Hal Smith played ten seasons in the major leagues from 1955-64, primarily as a catcher. He is not to be confused with Hal Smith, his contemporary, a catcher who was in the majors from 1956-65.

Smith was signed by the New York Yankees in 1949, and was involved in a huge trade after the 1954 season whereby 17 players changed teams.

He came to the majors first in 1955 with the 1955 Baltimore Orioles in their second year in Baltimore. Smith immediately became a regular as a rookie, appearing in 135 games and hitting .271 on a team that hit .240.

In August 1956, he was traded to the Kansas City Athletics, and the following year had one of his best seasons with the bat, hitting .303 and slugging .483, 101 points above the league slugging average. The following two years, Smith played a lot of third base, as the A's tried to keep his bat in the lineup when he wasn't catching.

He was traded after 1959 to the Pittsburgh Pirates, in time to be part of their 1960 World Series team. During the regular season he slugged .508, and during the Series he hit a 3-run homer in Game 7 that keyed a Pirates comeback in the 8th inning. Smith's homer put the Pirates ahead 9-7 before the Yankees tied the game with two runs in the 9th. Bill Mazeroski's memorable home run in the bottom of the 9th won the World Series for the Pirates.

In 1962, he became one of the original Houston Colt .45s, and in 1964 he finished out his major league career on the 1964 Cincinnati Reds, which featured a 23-year-old Pete Rose.