Leo Moon (June 22, 1899 – August 25, 1970) was a

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

for one season. He pitched 5⅔ innings in one game for the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

during the

1932 Cleveland Indians season The 1932 Cleveland Indians season was a season in American baseball. The team finished fourth in the American League with a record of 87–65, 19 games behind the New York Yankees. Regular season Season standings Record vs. opponents ...

and had a 17-year career in the minor leagues. He was originally born with two fingers on his left hand fused together. While actively pitching in baseball, he had surgery to split the two in 1927. Moon began his professional career in 1924 with in the

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

. He then spent 1925 and 1926 with the

Des Moines Demons The Des Moines Demons were a minor league baseball team that was located in Des Moines, Iowa from 1925 to 1937 and 1959 to 1961. The teams played at Holcomb Park. The first professional night baseball game was played at Holcomb Park when the Demo ...

, finishing the second season with 24 wins and eight losses. He spent 1926 to 1928 with the

Minneapolis Millers The Minneapolis Millers were an American professional minor league baseball team that played in Minneapolis, Minnesota, through 1960. In the 19th century a different Minneapolis Millers were part of the Western League. The team played first in ...

, and followed that up with three seasons with the

Little Rock Travelers The Little Rock Travelers were an American minor league baseball team located in Little Rock, Arkansas, and members (1902–1910, 1915–1958, 1960–1961) of the Southern Association, which as a Class A, A1 or Double-A (baseball), Double-A circuit ...

. His best season there was 1930, when he had a win-loss record of 18-9 and a 2.98

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) in 41 games and 248

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...

. Moon split the 1932 season with the

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...

and

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division and play their hom ...

. While with Toledo, the Cleveland Indians signed him to a contract to give themselves a left-handed pitcher on the roster. Moon made his debut on July 9 in the second game of a doubleheader against the Washington Senators, allowing seven runs and seven

bases on balls A base on balls (BB), also known as a walk, occurs in baseball when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls '' balls'', and is in turn awarded first base without the possibility of being called out. The base on balls is defined in Se ...

in 5.2 innings pitched in a 14-4 loss. He returned to the minor leagues shortly after that appearance, and spent 1933 with New Orleans. Moon spend the next five seasons with the

Knoxville Smokies Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state's ...

and

Atlanta Crackers The Atlanta Crackers were Minor League Baseball teams based in Atlanta, Georgia, between 1901 and 1965. The Crackers were Atlanta's home team until the Atlanta Braves moved from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1966. History Atlanta played its first ...

in the

Southern Association The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A (1902–1935), Cl ...

, finishing with a 17-9 record in two of those seasons. He spent 1939 with the

Fort Worth Cats The Fort Worth Cats was a professional baseball team based in Fort Worth, Texas, in the United States. The Cats were a member of the South Division of the now disbanded United League Baseball, which was not affiliated with Major League Baseball. ...

and

Oklahoma City Indians The Oklahoma City Indians was the primary name of an American professional baseball team representing Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, from 1904 though 1957, except for 1913 and three seasons during World War II. The team played in several different minor ...

, then wrapped up his career in 1940, finishing his professional career with over 200 wins.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moon, Leo 1899 births 1970 deaths Major League Baseball pitchers Cleveland Indians players Baseball players from North Carolina Nashville Vols players Atlanta Crackers players Beaumont Exporters players Des Moines Demons players Fort Worth Cats players Galveston Sand Crabs players Greensboro Patriots players Knoxville Smokies players Little Rock Travelers players Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players New Orleans Pelicans (baseball) players Oklahoma City Indians players Toledo Mud Hens players