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Wallace Wade Moon
Los Angeles Dodgers
Outfield
Born: April 3, 1930, Bay, AR
Signed: Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent before 1950 season
Major League Teams: St. Louis Cardinals 1954-1958; Los Angeles Dodgers 1959-1965
Died: February 9, 2018, Bryan, TX (age 87)
One of the most recognizable players from the '50s and early '60s, Wally Moon was a steady hitting outfielder who made two All-Star teams and won a pair of World Series rings with the 1959 and 1965 Dodgers. He was the N.L. Rookie of the Year in 1954 and won a Gold Glove in 1960. Moon spent his entire 12-year big league career in the National League playing for the Cardinals and the Dodgers, compiling a lifetime batting average of .289.
As a rookie in 1954, Moon had the unenviable task of replacing fan favorite and long-time Cardinal Enos Slaughter, who had been traded to the Yankees on April 11th. Moon delivered with an award winning rookie season, hitting .304 with 12 home runs and 76 RBIs. In 1959, Moon's 19 home runs and league leading 11 triples helped guide the Dodgers to an eventual World Series Championship. He led the league with a .434 on base percentage in 1961 while hitting a career high .328. He retired as an active player following the 1965 season, but he'd come back to the Majors in 1969 as the first hitting coach of the expansion San Diego Padres. In 1,457 career games, Moon batted .289 with 1,399 hits, 142 home runs and 661 RBIs.
Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1956 Topps blog.
Building the Set
June 19, 2021 from Moorestown Mall Baseball Card Show - Card #321
Following our youngest son Ben's flawless performance of Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy at his piano recital, our family headed to the Moorestown Mall in New Jersey to browse a real live baseball card show. Traditionally, I only venture into malls for baseball card shows and I can't honestly remember the last time, pre-pandemic, I had stepped foot into a mall. The show was small, hosted by S&B Sports Promotions, with about a dozen tables and not much vintage to offer, but it was a sight for sore eyes. It took us only about 15 minutes to scout the whole place out and I was lucky enough to find a friendly dealer with 1960s and 1970s Topps cards in great shape, in order and (best of all) reasonably priced. I took my time going through his 1965 Topps commons, settling on 29 cards we needed and adding a card from the star pile to give us 30 new cards total. I spent an even $100 (after a generous dealer discount) and this Moon card was about $3.25.
June 19, 2021 from Moorestown Mall Baseball Card Show - Card #321
Following our youngest son Ben's flawless performance of Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy at his piano recital, our family headed to the Moorestown Mall in New Jersey to browse a real live baseball card show. Traditionally, I only venture into malls for baseball card shows and I can't honestly remember the last time, pre-pandemic, I had stepped foot into a mall. The show was small, hosted by S&B Sports Promotions, with about a dozen tables and not much vintage to offer, but it was a sight for sore eyes. It took us only about 15 minutes to scout the whole place out and I was lucky enough to find a friendly dealer with 1960s and 1970s Topps cards in great shape, in order and (best of all) reasonably priced. I took my time going through his 1965 Topps commons, settling on 29 cards we needed and adding a card from the star pile to give us 30 new cards total. I spent an even $100 (after a generous dealer discount) and this Moon card was about $3.25.
Our older son Doug spent the spring playing in our local Little League for the Dodgers, his first time suiting up and wearing Dodger blue. And while I'm still trying to get him to get a haircut, at least I don't need to worry about him developing a mono brow at this point.
The Card / Dodgers Team Set
Moon was released by the Dodgers a week after the conclusion of the 1965 World Series, so he didn't receive a card in the 1966 Topps set. This is his career-capper and his final Topps flagship appearance. The back of the card highlights his Rookie of the Year win in 1954, and the home run he hit in his first Major League at-bat. Moon was batting second for the Cardinals on opening day 1954, and he gave his club a quick 1-0 lead when he homered off the Cubs' Paul Minner. The Cubs would go on to trounce the Cardinals in that game, 13-4.
1965 Season
This was Moon's final season in the majors, and he was used primarily as a pinch-hitter for Walter Alston's (#217) Dodgers. Moon appeared in 53 games, batting .202 with a home run and 11 RBIs, and he made 34 appearances as pinch-hitter going 5 for 25 (an even .200) in that role. The final at-bat of his career came during Game 6 of the World Series when he pinch-hit for pitcher Howie Reed (#544) in the eighth inning. Facing the Twins' Mudcat Grant (#432), Moon grounded out to second. The Dodgers would win the decisive Game 7 the following day, which really isn't a bad way to go out at all.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1954 Topps #137
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (12): 1954-1965
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2017 Topps Archives Snapshots #AS-WM
99 - Moon non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 8/29/21.
Sources:
1956 Topps Blog
The Card / Dodgers Team Set
Moon was released by the Dodgers a week after the conclusion of the 1965 World Series, so he didn't receive a card in the 1966 Topps set. This is his career-capper and his final Topps flagship appearance. The back of the card highlights his Rookie of the Year win in 1954, and the home run he hit in his first Major League at-bat. Moon was batting second for the Cardinals on opening day 1954, and he gave his club a quick 1-0 lead when he homered off the Cubs' Paul Minner. The Cubs would go on to trounce the Cardinals in that game, 13-4.
1965 Season
This was Moon's final season in the majors, and he was used primarily as a pinch-hitter for Walter Alston's (#217) Dodgers. Moon appeared in 53 games, batting .202 with a home run and 11 RBIs, and he made 34 appearances as pinch-hitter going 5 for 25 (an even .200) in that role. The final at-bat of his career came during Game 6 of the World Series when he pinch-hit for pitcher Howie Reed (#544) in the eighth inning. Facing the Twins' Mudcat Grant (#432), Moon grounded out to second. The Dodgers would win the decisive Game 7 the following day, which really isn't a bad way to go out at all.
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First Mainstream Card: 1954 Topps #137
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (12): 1954-1965
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2017 Topps Archives Snapshots #AS-WM
99 - Moon non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 8/29/21.
Sources:
1956 Topps Blog
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