Bob Moose

Lore & Background

Moose was a member of Pirates teams that won five National League Eastern Division titles in six years between 1970 and 1975 and the World Series in 1971. His best season came in 1969 when he posted a 14–3 won-loss record and a 2.91 Earned Run Average working equally as a starter and reliever. On September 20 of that year, he no-hit the eventual World Series champion New York Mets. He is also known for his wild pitch in the bottom half of the ninth inning which allowed George Foster to score the winning run in the fifth and deciding game of the 1972 NLCS, sending the Cincinnati Reds to the World Series after Pittsburgh had a one-run lead entering the bottom of the ninth. During the 1974 season, Moose suffered a blood clot under the shoulder of his pitching arm. Surgery was required to remove the clot plus one of Moose's ribs. Moose was killed on his twenty-ninth birthday in a two-vehicle auto accident on Ohio Route 7 in Martins Ferry, as he was returning from a tournament at Bill Mazeroski's golf course in Rayland, Ohio.

In Their Own Story

The September night air at Three Rivers tasted like charcoal smoke and cold beer. The Pirates were up by two, the count was two-and-one, and the right-handed slugger in the box was winding up for a fourth pitch. The PA announcer's voice cut through the murmur: "And to the mound for the Pirates—left-handed, Bob Moose." The crowd's noise shifted, that low, expectant hum that meant the game was about to be decided in small, precise increments. Moose stepped onto the rubber, set his feet, and the curveball left his hand with a quiet, violent spin. The bat swung through nothing. The catcher's mitt snapped shut. Two outs. The stadium exhaled, and somewhere in the stands, a kid in a Pirates cap whispered the name like a prayer: *Moose. Moose. Moose.*

Reader's Guide

Bob Moose was a right-handed pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1967 through 1976. He worked both as a starter and reliever. His signature pitch is not specified in the source.

Did You Know?

• Bob Moose threw a no-hitter against the eventual World Series champion New York Mets on September 20, 1969.
• He died in a car accident on his 29th birthday.
• Moose's wild pitch in the 1972 NLCS allowed the winning run to score for the Cincinnati Reds.