Gene Moore (outfielder)

{{Infobox baseball biography

|name=Gene Moore

|position=Right fielder

|image=Gene Moore 1940 Play Ball card.jpeg

|bats=Left

|throws=Left

|birth_date={{Birth date|1909|8|26}}

|birth_place=Lancaster, Texas, U.S.

|death_date={{death date and age|1978|3|12|1909|8|26}}

|death_place=Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.

|debutleague = MLB

|debutdate= September 19

|debutyear= 1931

|debutteam= Cincinnati Reds

|finalleague = MLB

|finaldate=September 30

|finalyear=1945

|finalteam=St. Louis Browns

|statleague = MLB

|stat1label=Batting average

|stat1value=.270

|stat2label=Home runs

|stat2value=58

|stat3label=Runs batted in

|stat3value=436

|teams=

Cincinnati Reds ({{mlby|1931}})
St. Louis Cardinals ({{mlby|1933}}–{{mlby|1935}})
Boston Bees ({{mlby|1936}}–{{mlby|1938}})
Brooklyn Dodgers ({{mlby|1939}}–{{mlby|1940}})
Boston Bees/Braves ({{mlby|1940}}–{{mlby|1941}})
Washington Senators ({{mlby|1942}}–{{mlby|1943}})
St. Louis Browns ({{mlby|1944}}–{{mlby|1945}})

|highlights=

All-Star (1937)

}}

Eugene Moore Jr. (August 26, 1909 – March 12, 1978) was an American professional baseball right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Bees / Braves, Brooklyn Dodgers, Washington Senators, and St. Louis Browns between 1931 and 1945. His father, Gene Sr., was a pitcher for the Pirates and Reds between 1910 and 1912.[https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/moorege03.shtml "Gene Moore Statistics and History"]. "baseball-reference.com. Retrieved on 2017-05-15.

Career

In a 14-season career, Moore posted a .270 batting average with 58 home runs and 436 RBI in 1042 games played.

Best season

In {{mlby|1936}}, Moore played in 151 games for the Boston Bees, batting .290, with 185 hits, 38 doubles, 12 triples, and 91 runs scored – all career-highs. On May 1, facing Pittsburgh's Waite Hoyt, Moore made Forbes Field history, becoming the first left-handed batter to launch a home run over that stadium's distant left-field wall, as well as the first to clear its then eleven-year-old, 24-foot-high scoreboard.Smith, Chester L. (May 2, 1936). [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=mFIbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3EsEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1253%2C2280302&dq=sets-two-records-first-second-barney-dreyfuss-memorial-time-left-batter-top-scoreboard "Two Unique Homers Put Buzz on Bucs; Sets Two Records"]. The Pittsburgh Press. p. 7. Retrieved June 28, 2021.{{efn|As if that were not enough, just three innings earlier, Moore had achieved what may well have also been a Forbes Field first by powering what would end up an uncontested inside-the-park home run more than 430 feet to dead center, where it struck the Barney Dreyfuss Memorial on the fly and caromed back towards the infield, allowing Moore to score standing up without a throw.Ballinger, Edward F. (May 2, 1936). [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CcFRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=imkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5424%2C2123057&dq=eugene-moore-smash-struck-barney-dreyfuss-memorial "Bees Take First Game from Bucs, 6-4"]. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 14. Retrieved June 28, 2021.Post-Gazette Photo (May 2, 1936). [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80431285/pittsburgh-post-gazette/ "Bees' Star Registers on First of Two Homers"]. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 14. Retrieved June 28, 2021.}} (Scarcely one year later, he would become the first and only player to perform this feat twice.)Smith, Chester L. (May 23, 1937). [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KSEbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8UsEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4271%2C2587573&dq=only-home-runs-over-forbes-field-wall-southpaw-batter-gene-moore-both "Smith Hurls for Giants"]. The Pittsburgh Press. p. 22. Retrieved June 28, 2021.Biederman, Les (July 21, 1962). [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/80420136/the-pittsburgh-press/ "Breaks Go Against Bucs in 6-3 Loss"]. The Pittsburgh Press. p. 6. Retrieved June 28, 2021.