Baseball players do great things that are sometimes forgotten.
In 1960, Hal Smith hit a three-run homer that could have won the World Series for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Today, he celebrates his 88th birthday.
Smith and his teammates were far from celebrating at Forbes Field as the Pirates trailed the New York Yankees 7-4 in the seventh game of the series on Oct. 13, 1960.
The Pirates got RBI singles from Dick Groat and Roberto Clemente to close the gap to 7-6. With Jim Coates on the mound, Smith blasted his shot that put the Pirates on top 9-7.
Unfortunately for Smith, his date with destiny didn’t last an inning.
The Yankees rallied to tie the game in the top of the ninth. Mickey Mantle had a run-scoring single off Harvey Haddix. Yogi Berra grounded out to score pinch-runner Gil McDougald.
As fate would have it, Pittsburgh’s Bill Mazeroski became famous with the first walk-off homer to decide a World Series as he drilled a drive to left off Ralph Terry.
Smith Plays a Decade
Smith, who is the uncle of Tim Flannery, spent 10 years in the major leagues with the Baltimore Orioles (1955-1956), Kansas City Athletics (1956-1959), Pittsburgh (1960-1961), Houston Colt 45s (1962-1963) and the Cincinnati Reds (1964).
For the Pirates in 1960, he had 11 homers with 45 RBI and a .295 batting average.
More than One Hal in the NL.
While the nearly famous Hal Smith was with the Pirates, there was another Hal Smith in the National League playing with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1960-1961. The St. Louis Smith began his career in 1956 with the Cardinals.
A physical condition put his career on hold in 1961 and he finished playing with the Pirates in 1965. Smith appeared in all-star games in 1957 and 1959. His best season was in 1959 when he hit 13 homers and knocked in 50 runs.
A Third Smith
The Pirates have actually had three players named Hal Smith in their history.
The first Smith pitched from 1932-1935. His best season was in 1933 when he posted an 8-7 record with a 2.86 ERA. He had a pair of shutouts and a save for the Pirates.