Though occasionally used as a starting pitcher, Wilcy Moore was among the first to gain fame as a reliever. He developed a sidearm sinkerball after hurting his shoulder in the Sally League. As a 30-year-old rookie with the 1927 Yankees, he went 19-7 and led the league with 13 relief wins and 13 saves (his 2.28 ERA would also have led, had he qualified with the then-necessary ten complete games). After saving the opener of the 1927 World Series against the Pirates, he started and won the fourth and final game. He later claimed that overwork in 1927 caused the arm problems which sidelined him in 1928 and hampered his career. Even so, his 10 saves for the Red Sox in 1931 were the AL high. He returned to the Yankees in 1932, his relief win in the WS closing out another four-game sweep, this time of the Cubs.
