"IN MEMORIAM" PART II: BOB MOOSE
Pitching his entire career for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Bob Moose was an effective starter before arm trouble in 1974 slowed down his career, leading him to work mainly out of the 'pen in 1975 and 1976.
In three of his full seasons as a starter, he posted E.R.A.'s under 3.00, and in 1969 he lead the N.L. in Winning Percentage at .823 with a nifty 14-3 record.
The highlight of his career had to be his September 20, 1969 no-hitter against the eventual World Champ New York Mets.
Tragically, on October 9th, 1976, after a season in which he appeared in 53 games and saved 10, Moose was killed on his 29th birthday in an auto accident while on his way to Bill Mazeroski's golf course in Martin's Ferry, Ohio.
I remember that as a kid, Bob Moose was the first baseball player (maybe even first "celebrity") that I heard of "dying young" or however you want to put it.
My cousin, who was a few years older than my 7 years, came over my house with his baseball cards (which we did anytime we went to each others house back then) and specifically pulled out his Bob Moose card and told me what happened.
I recall just staring at his card and having one of those moments where you just learned something about "life", and having a brief moment of mortality in a way that only a young mind could try and understand.
So for this post, I submit a 1977 "Memoriam" card for the former Pirate starting pitcher, as I remember that day over 35 years ago when "life" and baseball mixed for the first time.
In three of his full seasons as a starter, he posted E.R.A.'s under 3.00, and in 1969 he lead the N.L. in Winning Percentage at .823 with a nifty 14-3 record.
The highlight of his career had to be his September 20, 1969 no-hitter against the eventual World Champ New York Mets.
Tragically, on October 9th, 1976, after a season in which he appeared in 53 games and saved 10, Moose was killed on his 29th birthday in an auto accident while on his way to Bill Mazeroski's golf course in Martin's Ferry, Ohio.
I remember that as a kid, Bob Moose was the first baseball player (maybe even first "celebrity") that I heard of "dying young" or however you want to put it.
My cousin, who was a few years older than my 7 years, came over my house with his baseball cards (which we did anytime we went to each others house back then) and specifically pulled out his Bob Moose card and told me what happened.
I recall just staring at his card and having one of those moments where you just learned something about "life", and having a brief moment of mortality in a way that only a young mind could try and understand.
So for this post, I submit a 1977 "Memoriam" card for the former Pirate starting pitcher, as I remember that day over 35 years ago when "life" and baseball mixed for the first time.
No comments:
Post a Comment