Final Card: Ray Moore

Last fall, I received a nice package of 1963 cards from DeansCards.com. Prior to that, my only cards in this set were most of the Phillies, and a few guys who didn't have cards in the mid-to-late 1960s (like Ken Hubbs, Eli Grba, and Vic Wertz). I'm going to be featuring these cards for the foreseeable future on this blog, starting with cards of previously-unknown (to me) players whose last card was prior to 1966.


Here is the last of the 9 Topps baseball cards for Ray Moore (#26). I must confess, before seeing this card, I had never heard of Ray Moore. He was 35 years old on opening day in 1963, but he easily looks 20 years older than that. In fact, I may have mistaken him for Sparky Anderson's older cousin!

Ray was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, and spent the early part of his career in their farm system, at outposts including future big-league cities Fort Worth TX, Montreal, and St. Paul MN. Ray made his major-league debut with the Dodgers on August 1st, 1952, although he was soon back in the minors.



After the 1954 season, Moore was traded to the Orioles (who had just moved from St Louis a year earlier). He pitched for the Orioles for 3 seasons, first as their bullpen ace, and later one of their top 2 starting pitchers.

Ray spent the next 2 1/2 seasons with the White Sox, bouncing between their rotation and the bullpen. In June 1960, he was sold to the Washington Senators. By this time, Moore was strictly a relief pitcher, and he spent the next 3 1/2 seasons as a key member of the Senators/Twins' bullpen. Ray retired following the 1963 season.