Hal Smith Notable

b. December 7, 1930 · Baltimore Orioles 1955–1956, Kansas City Athletics 1956–1959, Pittsburgh Pirates 1960–1961, Houston Colt .45's 1962–1963, Cincinnati Reds 1964

Hal Smith played for five clubs across 10 seasons as a catcher, opening with the Baltimore Orioles in 1955 and closing with the Cincinnati Reds in 1964.

Across 879 games he batted .267, with 715 hits and 269 runs. He finished with 58 home runs, 148 doubles and 7 stolen bases.

He played 648 games behind the plate, with 3,116 putouts and 49 errors. He turned 57 double plays. He also played 126 games at third base.

He was born in West Frankfort, IL, USA on December 7, 1930, and died on January 9, 2020. He batted right-handed and threw right-handed.

Batting, season by season

Year	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	AVG
1955	BAL	135	424	41	115	23	4	4	52	30	21	1	.271
1956	BAL/KCA	114	371	31	99	23	2	5	42	20	34	2	.267
1957	KCA	107	360	41	109	26	0	13	41	14	44	2	.303
1958	KCA	99	315	32	86	19	2	5	46	25	47	0	.273
1959	KCA	108	292	36	84	12	0	5	31	34	39	0	.288
1960	PIT	77	258	37	76	18	2	11	45	22	48	1	.295
1961	PIT	67	193	12	43	10	0	3	26	11	38	0	.223
1962	HOU	109	345	32	81	14	0	12	35	24	55	0	.235
1963	HOU	31	58	1	14	2	0	0	2	4	15	0	.241
1964	CIN	32	66	6	8	1	0	0	3	12	20	1	.121
Career	—	879	2682	269	715	148	10	58	323	196	361	7	.267

On this day & linked events

1930

Born December 7, 1930

West Frankfort, IL, USA

2020

Died January 9, 2020

1955

Major-league debut: Hal Smith

Hal Smith made a major-league debut on April 11, 1955.

1964

Final major-league game: Hal Smith

Hal Smith played a final major-league game on July 22, 1964.

Image: Pittsburgh Pirates, public domain