Hal Smith, R.I.P.

Hal Smith, a journeyman big league catcher and infielder in the 1950's and 1960's who was best remembered for his World Series heroics for the Pittsburgh Pirates in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series, has passed away at the age of 89. No cause of death has been released.

Originally signed by the New York Yankees in 1949, Smith was lost in the team's minor league system until he was dealt to the Baltimore Orioles after the 1954 season. This was the 17-player deal which brought pitcher Don Larsen to the Yankees. Larsen, of course, pitched a perfect game in the 1956 World Series and passed away just over a week before Smith.

Smith would play in a career high 135 games for the Orioles in his rookie season of 1955. By August of the following season, the O's traded Smith to the Kansas City A's for another journeyman catcher named Joe Ginsberg. Smith played nearly half his career games with K.C. before the A's traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates prior to the 1960 season. Platooning behind the plate with Smokey Burgess, Smith batted .295 with 11 HR and 45 RBI despite playing in only 77 games.

Like Larsen, Smith would have played in obscurity if not for his World Series performance. In the 8th inning of Game 7 of the 1960 World Series, Smith belted a 3-run HR off Jim Coates to give the Bucs a 9-7 lead. Future Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente and 1960 NL MVP Dick Groat were on base when Smith hit his shot. It ought to have won the Series for the Pirates. But neither Bob Friend nor Harvey Haddix could stop the Yankees from scoring two runs to tie the game much less Mickey Mantle evading a tag allowing Gil MacDougald from scoring the tying run. But Bill Mazeroski had other ideas when he faced Ralph Terry in the bottom of the 9th.

Nevertheless, Pirates fans still celebrate Smith's HR six decades later.

Smith could not replicate his production in 1961. So the Pirates left him unprotected in the 1962 expansion draft and he was drafted by the Houston Colt 45s. After being the team's number one catcher in 1962, Smith took a backseat to John Bateman in 1963 before finishing his big league career with the Cincinnati Reds in 1964. In 10 MLB seasons, Smith batted .267 with 58 HR and 323 RBIs in 879 games plus one of the most memorable home runs in World Series history. R.I.P.