| Wally Moses | |
|---|---|
 Moses later in his career with Philadelphia. | |
| Right fielder | |
| Born:(1910-10-08)October 8, 1910 Uvalda, Georgia, U.S. | |
| Died: October 10, 1990(1990-10-10) (aged 80) Vidalia, Georgia, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 17, 1935, for the Philadelphia Athletics | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 30, 1951, for the Philadelphia Athletics | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .291 |
| Hits | 2,138 |
| Home runs | 89 |
| Runs batted in | 679 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Wallace Moses (October 8, 1910 – October 10, 1990) was an American professionalbaseballright fielder, who playedMajor League Baseball for thePhiladelphia Athletics (1935–41; 1949–51),Chicago White Sox (1942–46) andBoston Red Sox (1946–48). Moses batted and threwleft-handed, stood 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) tall and weighed 160 pounds (73 kg). He was born inUvalda, 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.
Moses started his professional career with Galveston of theTexas League, where hebatted .316 in 1934.[1] He debuted with the Philadelphia Athletics on Opening Day of the1935 season,singling offEarl Whitehill of theWashington Senators beforePresident Franklin D. Roosevelt andVice President John Nance Garner atGriffith Stadium.[2] Hebatted over .300 in each of his seven years with the Athletics, including a career-best .345 in hissophomore year.
Moses had by far his most productive season in1937, when he hit career-highs inhome runs (25),RBI (86),runs (113),hits (208) anddoubles (48), batting .320 with 13triples. Prior to the1940 season, he missed the opportunity to play for aWorld Series team, when his trade to theDetroit Tigers forBenny McCoy was nullified byBaseball CommissionerKenesaw Mountain Landis. The commissioner's ruling made McCoy and 87 Tiger minor leaguersfree agents.[3]
Through years of last place finishes with Philadelphia, Moses had little chance to display his speed on the basepaths. But in1943, with the Chicago White Sox, he posted a career-high 56stolen bases and co-led theAmerican League intriples (12). A strong-armed right fielder, he led the AL inputouts (329) in1945.
He played in his only World Series in1946 as a member of the Red Sox. Moses started three of the Series' seven games in right field, and batted .417 (5-for-12), tying 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 the1941 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 (1949-51). The closest he came to the .300 plateau is when he hit .295 with the White Sox in 1945.[4]
In his 17-season career, Moses hit .291 with 89 home runs and 679 RBI in 2,012games played. He added 1,124 runs, 2,138 hits, 435 doubles, 110 triples and 174 stolen bases. His careerfielding percentage was .973. A patient hitter with a good eye, Moses collected a 1.80walk-to-strikeout ratio (821-to-457).[5] He also made theAmerican League All-Star team in 1937 and 1945, but didn't appear in the 1937 game (there was no All-Star game in 1945 due to war restrictions).
Immediately following his playing career, Moses became acoach for the Athletics from 1952 to 1954, the A's final three seasons inPhiladelphia. He then moved to thePhiladelphia Phillies (1955–58),Cincinnati Reds (1959–60),New York Yankees (1961–62; 1966) andDetroit Tigers (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.[6]
Moses died inVidalia, Georgia two days after his 80th birthday.
Moses was the last 20th century Athletics player with a 200-hit season, with 208 in1937. Sixty-five years later,Miguel Tejada became the first Athletic since Moses to collect 200 hits when he achieved the mark in the2002 season.[7]
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | New York Yankeesfirst base coach 1961–1962 1966 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Detroit Tigersfirst base coach 1967–1970 | Succeeded by |
