Former Dodgers slugger Wally Moon, whose 'Moon shots' helped team reach three World Series, dies ...

Los Angeles Times ^ | February 10, 2018 | Steve Marble

[EveningStar]

Wally Moon, the wiry outfielder with the old-school crew cut who helped take the Dodgers to the World Series three times and became a crowd favorite for his towering “Moon shots,” has died.

Moon, who became part of the Dodger’s lineup shortly after the team moved west from Brooklyn, died Friday in Bryan, Texas. He was 87.

[EveningStar]

Wikipedia

Career stats

[EveningStar]

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[morphing libertarian]

saw a few dodger games at the colosseum They jerry rigged the football stadium to accommodate baseball and the left field fence was close. They put up a 42 foot high wire fence and Moon would pop up and the ball would go over the fence for a home run. Those were called moon shots. Some of the line drive hitters couldn’t hit home runs because the ball would hit the wire fence and stay in play.

[EveningStar]

He beat out Ernie Banks and Hank Aaron for NL Rookie of the year honors in 1954.

[Paulie]

Rest in peace Mr. Moon.

And may Almighty God welcome you into His mercy with open arms.

[Buckeye McFrog]

He was before my time, but my fourth grade reader had a story about him and the life of a major league baseball player. I believe he was with the Cardinals at that time. I had no idea he was still alive. RIP

[Michael.SF.]

The LA Coliseum was an usual configuration for baseball: 200 ft. down the line and a 60 ft. Screen:

Wally Moon was famous for his "Moon Shot", a short high fly ball that would be an out in almost any other park. I saw him there a few times, with my cousin actually getting one of his home run balls. Unfortunately a bigger kid took it from him (we were 9 and 10 at the time).

RIP Mr. Moon

[buckalfa]

Time marches on for the dwindling few boys of summer.

[Sam Clements]

I was an avid baseball card collector in the late 50’s and early 60’s. The cards cost 5 cents a pack and our town General Store would sell you 6 packs for a quarter.
Anyway, Wally Moon was always one of my favorites. He had an amazing uni brow. It is sad to hear of his passing but it is great to know that he enjoyed a long and exemplary life. RIP.

[Dilbert San Diego]

Brings back memories of the Dodgers at the L.A. Coliseum. Amazing how they shoehorned a baseball field into that stadium. Dodgers played there for four years until Dodger Stadium opened.

[onedoug]

RIP Wally Moon.

[Chauncey Gardiner]

A great Aggie

[doug from upland]

Yep, I saw one Moonshot. He was traded to the Dodgers for Charley Neal and I remember his comment: You made a helluva deal.

The headline is deceptive. His Moonshots helped reach one World Series - 1959. No more Moonshots after the 1961 season since Dodger Stadium opened in 1962.

[doug from upland]

“Slugger” is perhaps somewhat over the top for someone who had 142 career home runs.

[ought-six]

Oh, man; I grew up in Los Angeles (Westchester), and those Dodgers teams were special. Wally Moon; Don Demeter; Gil Hodges; Duke Snider; Sandy Koufax; Ron Fairley; Jim Gilliam; Carl Furillo; Johnny Podres; et als.

[ought-six]

I saw the Dodgers play there (i.e., the L.A. Coliseum), many times.

[CaliforniaCraftBeer]

from Dave Frishberg
'Dodger Blue' (1991)

Down through the years the young men came west to play the game in Dodger Blue
Through laughter and tears the young men came west and rose to fame in Dodger Blue
And they stayed and they played and they made a dream come true
So here's to the dream and here's to the team
In Los Angeles Dodger Blue
Wally Moon
Wes Parker
Manny Mota
Norm Larker
McMullen
McDevitt
McDermott
McBean
Doyle Alexander and
Claude Osteen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvHEapQZdZ0

[Fiji Hill]

Back in ‘59, Wally Moon was a hero out here.

[Michael.SF.]

I don't recall the year ('61, '62?), but at one game the Dodger starter was Sandy Koufax. He hit a guy, walked one, two wild pitches, all in the first inning. He was pulled. We (cousin and I) were making fun of him, calling him a bum and such. My Uncle, told us the guy would be great, once he got his control down, and he never let us forget that. A few years later he would tease us after a Koufax win: "Still think he's a bum?"

LOL

[jjotto]

When Koufax signed for a bonus at age 19, MLB rules required him to stay on the major league roster for two years. Basketball was his scholarship sport at U of Cincinnati, where he did only a brief stint on the baseball team.

He had to develop at the MLB level.