Hal Smith (infielder)

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For other people of the same name, see Hal Smith (disambiguation).
Hal Smith
Catcher, Third baseman, and First baseman
Born: (1930-12-07) December 7, 1930 (age 82)
West Frankfort, Illinois
Batted: Right Threw: Right 
MLB debut
April 11, 1955 for the Baltimore Orioles
Last MLB appearance
July 22, 1964 for the Cincinnati Reds
Career statistics
Batting average     .267
Home runs     58
Runs batted in     323
Teams

Harold Wayne Smith (born December 7, 1930 in West Frankfort, Illinois) is a former utility player in Major League Baseball from 1955 to 1964.[1]

Contents

Career [edit]

Smith was signed as an amateur free agent by the New York Yankees in 1949.[2] However, he never played for the Yankees, as he made his major league debut with the Baltimore Orioles as their starting catcher in 1955. Primarily a catcher throughout his career, Smith occasionally also played first base and third base.[1] Smith was a member of the 1960 Champion Pittsburgh Pirates. As a right-handed batter, he platooned with left-handed hitting Smoky Burgess behind the plate.

Place in history [edit]

In Game 7 of the 1960 World Series, Smith, then playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates, began the game on the bench but entered in the 8th inning after starter Smoky Burgess was removed for a pinch-runner. Smith came to bat in the bottom of the 8th with 2 outs, 2 runners on base, and the Pirates trailing the Yankees by the score of 7–6. With 2 strikes, Smith hit a dramatic three-run home run off Jim Coates to give the Pirates a 9–7 lead. His home run electrified the Forbes Field crowd in Pittsburgh, who thought his homer would win the World Series for the Pirates. However, his home run would be overshadowed by Bill Mazeroski's walk-off homer to win the Series in the bottom of the ninth after the Yankees tied the game 9–9 in the top of the 9th. But his 8th inning home run was pivotal, and Smith would always be known as one of the heroes of the 1960 World Series.[3]

In addition, in 1960-61, he was one of two Hal Smiths catching in the National League. The other, Harold Raymond Smith, toiled for the St. Louis Cardinals.

External links [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ a b Hal Smith at Baseball Reference
  2. ^ Hal Smith Trades and Transactions at Baseball Reference
  3. ^ 1960 World Series Game 7 box score at Baseball Reference
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