Wallace Moses (October 8, 1910 – October 10, 1990) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

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right fielder A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the ...

, who played

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), ...

for the

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oaklan ...

(1935–41; 1949–51),

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

(1942–46) and

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

(1946–48). Moses batted and threw left-handed, stood tall and weighed . He was born in Uvalda, Georgia and attended Vidalia High School. He is the only player in Major League Baseball history to accomplish a "walk off steal of home" more than once, which he did twice.

Baseball career

Moses started his professional career with Galveston of 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 ...

, where he batted .316 in 1934. He debuted with the Philadelphia Athletics on Opening Day of the season, singling off Earl Whitehill of the Washington Senators before

President Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

and Vice President John Nance Garner at Griffith Stadium. He batted over .300 in each of his seven years with the Athletics, including a career-best .345 in his

sophomore year In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In ...

. Moses had by far his most productive season in , when he hit career-highs in

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s (25), RBI (86), runs (113),

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...

(208) and doubles (48), batting .320 with 13

triples TripleS (stylized as tripleS; Help:IPA/English, /ˈtɹɪpəl:ɛs/; ) is a South Korean girl group formed by MODHAUS. They aim to be the world's first decentralized K-pop idol group. The members will rotate between the group, sub-unit, and solo ac ...

. Prior to the seasons, he missed the opportunity to play for a

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

team, when his trade to the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

for

Benny McCoy Benjamin Jenison McCoy (November 9, 1915 – November 9, 2011) was a second baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the Detroit Tigers (1938–1939) and Philadelphia Athletics (1940–1941). Listed at . 170 lb., he batted left-hand ...

was nullified by Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis. The commissioner's ruling made McCoy and 87 Tiger minor leaguers

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

s. Through years of last place finishes with Philadelphia, Moses had little chance to display his speed on the basepaths. But in , with the Chicago White Sox, he posted a career-high 56

stolen bases In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...

and co-led the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

(12). A strong-armed right fielder, he led the AL in

putout In baseball statistics, a putout (denoted by ''PO'' or ''fly out'' when appropriate) is awarded to a defensive player who (generally while in secure possession of the ball) records an out by one of the following methods: * Tagging a runner wit ...

s (329) in . He played in his only World Series in

1946 Events January * January 6 - The 1946 North Vietnamese parliamentary election, first general election ever in Vietnam is held. * January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into f ...

as a member of the Red Sox. Moses started three of the Series' seven games in right field, and batted .417 (5-for-12), tied a Series record with four hits in a game. His first seven years with the A's, 1935 through 1941, were the most productive in his career. Moses surpassed .300 in every season. He produced 61 home runs, 354 RBI, and hit .317 (1,135-for-3,580). After being traded away after the season, he never hit .300 again and his productivity declined, recording 28 home runs, 325 RBI, and batting .266 (1,003-for-3,776) over the next ten seasons with the White Sox, Red Sox and a second term with the A's. The closest he came to the .300 plateau is when he hit .295 with the White Sox in 1945. In his 17-season career, Moses hit .291 with 89 home runs and 679 RBI in 2,012

games played Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested. Basebal ...

. He added 1,124 runs, 2,138 hits, 435 doubles, 110 triples and 174 stolen bases. His career

fielding percentage In baseball statistics, fielding percentage, also known as fielding average, is a measure that reflects the percentage of times a defensive player properly handles a batted or thrown ball. It is calculated by the sum of putouts and assists, div ...

was .973. A patient hitter with a good eye, Moses collected a 1.80 walk-to-strikeout ratio (821-to-457). He also made the American League All-Star team in 1937 and 1945.

Post career

Immediately following his playing career, Moses became a

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

for the Athletics from 1952–54, the A's final three seasons in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. He then moved to the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

(1955–58),

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

(1959–60),

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

(1961–62; 1966) and

(1967–70), serving as both a first base coach and hitting instructor. He also was a minor league batting coach and scout for the Yankees. As a hitting coach, he would teach his batters to go after pitches and lean over the plate. Moses died in

Vidalia, Georgia Vidalia ( ''vye-DAYL-yə'' , ) is a city located primarily in Toombs County, Georgia, United States. The city also extends very slightly into Montgomery County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 10,473. Vidalia is the principal ...

two days after his 80th birthday. Moses was the last 20th century Athletics player with a 200-hit season, with 208 in . Sixty-five years later,

Miguel Tejada Miguel Odalis Tejada ( Tejeda; born May 25, 1974) is a Dominican former professional baseball shortstop who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for six teams, most notably the Oakland Athletics and Baltimore Orioles, before ...

collected 204 (October 5, ).

References

External links

Wally Moses
at SABR (Baseball BioProject) * : {{DEFAULTSORT:Moses, Wally 1910 births 1990 deaths American League All-Stars American people of Scotch-Irish descent Baseball coaches from Georgia (U.S. state) Baseball players from Georgia (U.S. state) Boston Red Sox players Chicago White Sox players Cincinnati Reds coaches Detroit Tigers coaches Elmira Colonels players Galveston Buccaneers players Major League Baseball first base coaches Major League Baseball hitting coaches Major League Baseball right fielders Monroe Twins players New York Yankees coaches New York Yankees scouts People from Montgomery County, Georgia Philadelphia Athletics coaches Philadelphia Athletics players Philadelphia Phillies coaches Shreveport Sports players

Baseball career

Post career

See also

References

External links