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By Jon Paul Hoornstra
Contributing Sports Writer
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Albert Hall, a fleet-footed outfielder whose joyful passion and a rare milestone in Atlanta Braves franchise history made him a beloved figure among baseball purists and Braves fans alike, died Tuesday in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. He was 67.
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Hall’s passing was quietly confirmed on funeral home pages and through social media remembrances from former teammates and Braves circles, as the baseball community marked the loss of one of its most unassuming yet unforgettable characters.
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Hall grew up in Birmingham, where he excelled at Jones Valley High School and quickly became one of Alabama’s most talked-about prep prospects. The Braves selected him in the sixth round of the 1977 MLB Draft, impressed by his switch-hitting ability and rare speed — assets that would define his baseball journey.
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Hall made his major league debut on Sept. 12, 1981, and over the course of nine seasons became a fixture in the Braves’ outfield, appearing in 355 games for Atlanta and finishing his career with a brief stint with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1989.
Hall stole only 67 bases over the course of his major league career. But he stole 100 as a minor leaguer for the Class-A Durham Bulls in 1980 — a rare feat at the time, and a style of display that would define the decade of the 1980s across baseball.
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Hall’s career stat line — a .251 batting average with 202 hits, five home runs and 67 stolen bases — only scratches the surface of his impact. His bat was less heralded than his legs, but it was on Sept. 23, 1987, that Hall etched his name into franchise lore. That day, he became the first Atlanta player to hit for the cycle, doing something no player had done in 20 years since the team relocated from Milwaukee.
In a 5–4 victory over the Houston Astros, Hall collected a single, double, triple and home run. The rare feat had been accomplished only four times in team history, and not since the Boston Braves' William Collins on Oct. 6, 1910. It remains a highlight reel moment for Braves historians and fans.
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Hall’s journey was not without struggle. In the late 1980s, he battled personal challenges off the field, including a well-publicized fight with alcohol dependency at a time when such struggles were rarely discussed publicly.
After his final season as a player, split between Pittsburgh and the Pirates' Double-A affiliate in Buffalo, in 1989, Hall remained a regular presence at Braves autograph signings.
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