Hal Smith

Harold Wayne Smith (December 7, 1930 – January 9, 2020) was an American professional baseball player who appeared in 879 games in Major League Baseball from 1955 to 1964 — mostly as a catcher, but also as a third baseman and first baseman. Smith played with five different MLB teams but is most notable for his integral role during the 1960 World Series as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. During his playing career, he threw and batted right-handed, stood tall, and weighed . Early Major League career Smith was signed as an amateur free agent by the New York Yankees in 1949, but he never played for the Yankees. He was included in an enormous 17-player trade (being one of the largest in Major League annals) to the Baltimore Orioles after the 1954 season and made his big-league debut with the Orioles as their starting catcher on Opening Day 1955, going hitless in three at bats against Bob Porterfield of the Washington Senators. Just a week into his first season, the Associated Press was calling him one of the eight best rookies thus far in 1955, observing that he had four hits in his first 10 at bats. During his rookie season, Smith appeared in a career-high 135 games, 113 as a starting catcher, but in 1956, he lost his regular job to Gus Triandos (who had also been traded by the Yankees to the Orioles in that 17-player deal).