Wallace Wade Moon was born on April 3, 1930, in Bay, Arkansas.
Wally played college baseball at Texas A&M, and was signed as an amateur free agent by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1950.
Wally made his big league debut on April 13, 1954, going 1-3, smacking a home run for the Cardinals.
Wally played for the Cardinals through the 1958 season, and was traded to the Dodgers on December 4, 1958.
In his first season as a Dodger Wally led the N.L. in triples in 1959, collected 164 hits, 19 homers, and 74 RBI.
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Wally helped the Dodgers to the 1959 N.L. Pennant, and in only their second year in L.A., the former bums from Brooklyn won the World Series.
Wally collected 6 hits in the Series vs. the Chicago White Sox, including a HR in Game 6.
Playing in cavernous L.A. Coliseum, the left handed slugger learned to hit the ball up and over the two 42 ft. screens hovering just a short 251 feet from home plate.
Legendary Dodgers announcer Vin Scully named the arching homers "Moon Shots," and a legend in Dodger Blue was born.
In three years playing at the L.A. Coliseum for the Dodgers Wally hit 49 "Moon Shots."
In his 12 year big league career Wally Moon played in 1,457 ball games, collected 1,399 hits, 212 doubles, 142 home runs, batting .289 in 4,843 big league at bats.
After his playing career Wally Moon became a coach at John Brown University between 1966-77, with one year off to become the hitting coach with the 1969 expansion San Diego Padres.
Wally owned the Dodgers AA franchise in San Antonio from 1976-1980, and was a minor league manager for the Yankees and Orioles between 1988-1991.
By my count that's around 45 years between high school baseball and and his last stint in the minors in 1991.
That's a lifetime of service to the game of baseball for Wally, and I bet he'd do it all over again.
For more information on Wally Moon go to wallymoon.com.
Happy 85th Baseball Birthday Wally Moon!
PLAY BALL!
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