- Moose Skowron
Infobox MLB retired
name=Moose Skowron
position=First baseman
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1930|12|18Chicago, Illinois
debutdate=April 13
debutyear=by|1954
debutteam=New York Yankees
finaldate=October 1
finalyear=by|1967
finalteam=California Angels
stat1label=Batting average
stat1value=.282
stat2label=Home runs
stat2value=211
stat3label=Runs batted in
stat3value=888
teams=
*New York Yankees (by|1954-by|1962)
*Los Angeles Dodgers (by|1963)
* Washington Senators (by|1964)
*Chicago White Sox (by|1964-by|1967)
* California Angels (by|1967)
highlights=
* 6x All-Star selection (1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1965)
* 5xWorld Series champion (1956, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1963)William Joseph "Moose" Skowron Jr. (born
December 18 ,1930 ) is a formerMajor League Baseball player, primarily afirst baseman . He is currently a Community Relations Representative for the White Sox.Skowron was born in
Chicago, Illinois , and is of Polish descent. His father was a garbage collector. After his grandfather gave the seven year old Skowron a haircut that looked like the dictator's and his friends jokingly called him "Mussolini", his family shortened the nickname to "Moose." [Moose Skowron, interview by Peter Sagal, Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me!, NPR, week of September 6-12, 2008.] The name stuck throughout his career."Moose" attended Weber High School on the intersection of Division and Ashland in Chicago. He went to
Purdue University on a football scholarship, but found himself better suited tobaseball when he hit .500 as a sophomore, a record in theBig Ten Conference that lasted ten years.Signed by the
New York Yankees in by|1950 as an amateur free agent, he played his first game for the Yankees onApril 13 , by|1954. He wore uniform number 53 in the 1954 season, but switched to #14 in by|1955 and stayed with that number for the rest of his years with the Yankees. In the beginning, he was platooned at first base withJoe Collins , but from by|1958 on he became the Yankees' full time first baseman. He played in five All-Star Games as a Yankee: by|1957, by|1958, by|1959, by|1960, and by|1961.On
November 26 , by|1962 he was traded by the Yankees to theLos Angeles Dodgers for Stan Williams. He kept his Yankee uniform number, 14, on the Dodgers. Although Skowron floundered againstNational League pitching, batting just .203 in 237 at bats with four home runs, he stunned his former team in the1963 World Series . Playing against his old Yankee teammates, Skowron led the Dodgers with a .385 average and a home run, as Los Angeles swept New York in four straight games.On
December 6 , by|1963 he returned to theAmerican League when was purchased from the Dodgers by the Washington Senators (currently the Texas Rangers). The Senators gave him uniform number three.On
July 13 , by|1964 he was traded by the Senators to theChicago White Sox . He took uniform number five on the Sox at first, but with the by|1965 season went back to his old uniform number on the Yankees and Dodgers, 14. In by|1965 he once more got to play in the All-Star Game.On
May 6 , by|1967 he was traded by the White Sox to the California Angels. He kept his uniform number 14 on the Angels.He was released by the Angels on
October 9 , by|1967.He played in a total of 1478 games, all but 15 as a
first baseman . (He was in 13 games as athird baseman and two as asecond baseman .)Skowron made the last out of the
1957 World Series , but the following year knocked in the winning run in game six of the1958 World Series . Skowron also hit a 3-run home run in game seven to propel the Yankees to a World Series win, and a comeback from a 3-1 series deficit.During his time with the Yankees, he resided in
Hillsdale, New Jersey . [Effrat, Louis. [http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30A1EF93C5D1B728DDDA80894DA405B818AF1D3 "Skowron Denies He Is a Holdout; First Baseman Says He Is Happy but Wants Raise Yankee Infielder to Talk Money With Hamey Today"] , "The New York Times ", February 1, 1961. Accessed September 11, 2001.]On
June 12 ,1980 he was inducted into theNational Polish-American Hall of Fame , and currently resides in Schaumburg, Illinois.ee also
*
Top 500 home run hitters of all time
*Los Angeles Dodgers all-time roster
*Chicago White Sox all-time roster References
External links
*baseball-reference|id=s/skowrbi01
* [http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=skowrbi01 Baseball Almanac]
* [http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m0FCI/8_62/104362925/p1/article.jhtml Baseball Digest]
* [http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/S/Skowron_Bill.stm Baseball Library]
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