Moore was the Giants’ left fielder and, despite drawing few walks, leadoff man for much of 1932-41. A lefthanded slap-hitter, he batted over .300 five times, and led the NL in at-bats in 1935.
Because Moore was a notorious first-ball hitter, some managers insisted their pitchers start him off with a ball outside the strike zone, fining those who allowed Moore a first-pitch hit. Often, Moore had to duck an opening delivery. When Hank Lieber was Moore’s roommate, he told Dizzy Dean to quit throwing at Joe or he’d break every bone in Dean’s body.
Moore tied a record with nine hits in a five-game World Series (1937), and with two hits in one inning in the 1933 WS. A life-long resident of Gause, TX, he passed away on April 1, 2001.
