The journeyman catcher might have gone down in baseball history as a World Series hero when he homered late in Game 7 of the 1960 Series while playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates. But the Yankees made a comeback and Bill Mazeroski hit the walk-off game-winner later that afternoon.

The Illinois native signed originally with the Yankees in 1949 and made his debut with the Orioles in 1955. Smith played for Kansas City and Pittsburgh before he was claimed by the Colt .45s in the expansion draft. He was the starting catcher in the first game in franchise history and batted .235 with 12 homers in 109 games. He played 31 games in 1963 and hit .241 before he was released.

Smith spent his final big league season with the Reds in 1964. For his ten big league seasons, he hit .267 with 58 homers.

Hal Smith passed away at the age of 89 in Columbus, TX on January 9, 2020.