This in no small part thanks to Moon’s 19 home runs and league-leading 11 triples. In only their second season on the west coast, the team claimed the National League pennant in 1959. The benefits to the Dodgers were immediate. But with advice from his mentor Stan Musial, he adjusted his hitting to take advantage of the short left field. Being a left-handed batter, Moon would seem destined to struggle further in these conditions. It was a meager 250 foot distance to left and 440 to send a ball over the right-field fence. Especially with the bizarre disparity between left field and right.
Given the oval shape of the field, this forced players to adjust. Coliseum before Dodger Stadium’s opening in 1962. Of course, this was the brief period where the Dodgers had to play at the L.A. The franchise had recently made their historic transplant from Brooklyn to L.A., but missed the postseason the past two seasons after the 1955 Brooklyn championship and another pennant in 1956. And after a sub-par 1958 season, he was traded to the Dodgers at year’s end. Moon would have to head west in order to experience postseason play. While the Cardinals are second only to the Yankees in terms of championship prestige, the 50’s were a strangely barren decade for the Redbirds. That line proved enough to earn him National League Rookie of the Year honors for the 1954 season, beating out Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks and Gene Conley. 304 batting average, 12 homers and 76 RBIs that season. It was a harbinger of things to come, as Moon notched a. Moon would respond by slugging a home run. Displeased Cardinals fans chanted, “We want Slaughter!” as he strode to the plate for the first time on April 13.
Louis Cardinals in 1954, replacing Hall of Famer Enos Slaughter in the outfield. But for anyone who bleeds Dodger Blue, it’s a name to be remembered and cherished.Ī native of the small town of Bay, Arkansas, Moon started his career with the St. Despite being a crucial bat for the 1959, 19 championship teams, his moniker is one that isn’t universally known. Wally Moon, who recently passed away at the age of 87 on February 9, is a perfect example of an underrated hero. From Sullivan Place in Brooklyn to Chavez Ravine in Los Angeles, the Dodger lineage is one of the proudest in baseball.Īny franchise with a tradition of winning is defined as much by lesser known heroes as they are by superstars. Robinson, Newcombe, Campanella, Reese, Alston, Koufax, Drysdale, Wills, Garvey, Sutton, Valenzuela, Hershiser, Lasorda, Piazza, Kershaw. Any cursory glance at the history of the Dodgers franchise reveals a litany of baseball titans.
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