Former Red Sox Catcher Jerry Moses, 71

LoweTek

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Details are sketchy at this time but former Red Sox catcher Jerry Moses passed away yesterday.

Jerry was a 1964 Red Sox Bonus Baby from Yazoo, MS who made the 1970 All-Star team and was part of the trade sending Tony C. to the Angels. He was a cog in the late sixties post Impossible Dream teams and was considered an excellent defensive catcher.

Jerry was a wonderful individual who cherished his short time with the Red Sox. He remained loyal to Red Sox fans right until his passing.

Thoughts and prayers to his wife Carolyn and their family.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Moses
 
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Van Everyman

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Did anyone else go to his baseball camp with Mike Andrews? I did – and have no memory of meeting either guy!
 

DanoooME

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Moses hit a home run for the Red Sox in 1965, when he was just 18 years old.

The feat is referred to as the youngest Red Sox player to pinch-hit a home run... but I can't figure out any younger Red Sox player who'd have ever homered, pinch hitter or no.

https://www.mlb.com/redsox/news/former-red-sox-catcher-jerry-moses-dies-at-71/c-269845520
The only other Red Sox player to hit a HR at all before the age of 19 was Billy Consolo in 1953 and he was just 17 days short of his 19th birthday. Jerry was 2 1/2 months short of his 19th birthday
 

Humphrey

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Someone has Mr. Moses confused with someone else. He hit the aforementioned homer in 1965 and did not appear in another major league game until 1968. Not a member of the 1967 Red Sox in any way, shape or form.

Or I'm wrong, which is not unusual..but if I am Baseball Reference is wrong too, and that IS unusual.
 

mwonow

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Someone has Mr. Moses confused with someone else. He hit the aforementioned homer in 1965 and did not appear in another major league game until 1968. Not a member of the 1967 Red Sox in any way, shape or form.

Or I'm wrong, which is not unusual..but if I am Baseball Reference is wrong too, and that IS unusual.
My memory has Russ Gibson spelled by Elston Howard behind the plate for that team, but BP says most of the starts went to Mike Ryan (who I don't remember at all), and that Bob Tillman (more or less ditto) got to play in 30 games, too. And Howard played most of the WS, with Gibson getting just 2 ABs (2Ks). So...lesson as always, trust BP!
 

section15

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If we're going to honor him, we should start by spelling his name right.
This morning's Eagle-Tribune had the full obituary from the family (info on calling hours, etc.) and a full bio. In that, his name is given as "Gerald B. Moses", although the baseball media has called him Jerry. So either form, I guess, is OK.

And I think his connection to 1967 - he may have been on the MLB roster in that year for a cup of coffee but never got into a game. Sometimes players drift through the 25-man roster for a day or so. You'll recall the Sox used four catchers that year - Gibson, Tillman, Ryan, and later in the season, Elston Howard gave the position some stability. Gibson, Tillman and Howard had all passed on, and Ryan spent the bulk of his career in the Phillies system and I don't know why he has never been back. So Moses was representing the catching spot.

On a side note - yes - the obit stated he had been in nursing care, and suffered from dementia. I saw him at an autograph session around three-four years ago, remarked that a mutual friend had passed away - his next door neighbor from North Andover, who also had been a professional athlete, and he looked stunned and said "I don't remember too much anymore"....rather odd - because in an airport meeting in Pittsburgh, in 1997, the three of us met and had pretzels and he vaguely remembered me as a bleacher rat from his playing days.

Last summer he was at the BoSox Club luncheon, celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Impossible Dream. While a number of others spoke, and signed autographs (and as an aside, the rarely used Bill Landis brought the house down), Jerry was at the autograph table and we were told he won't be signing, but do shake his hand, and above all, chat with him and give him your best wishes.

When I got up to the table to talk with him, someone whispered in my ear "Alzheimer's" so I kept a bright and cheery face and chatted that it was good to see him again, and that was about it - but you could see that he was not well.

I think the scary part of this for me, is that he was only four years or so older than I am.
 
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Humphrey

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Plate appearances in 1967: Gibson, 154; Tillman 67 (traded pretty early in the season, but not before he nearly beaned John Wyatt on a throw down to second base); Ryan 226; Howard 129.
Howard hit .147 for the Sox, which is about 80 points less than I would have figured (he did hit .241 in 1968, his last year; which in a very pitcher-dominated season was actually pretty good).
Gibson and Ryan were both local guys, Fall River and Haverhill, respectively.
 

section15

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Gibson and Ryan were both local guys, Fall River and Haverhill, respectively.
From the Impossible Dream LP = Ken Coleman remarked that Russ Gibson had spent ten years in the minor leagues. Mike Ryan - from my current hometown of Haverhill - was traded to the Phillies after the 1967 season. There is an interesting SABR biography on him, and disputes with Dick Williams.

That bio is here -

https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/9df69d50

He spent a reasonable career - anemic hitter but could occasionally hit in the clutch, and noted for his defense and ability to call a game. He had a decent run, primarily as a backup catcher for the Phillies. Much more interesting is the first game he ever played in the majors -- a wild 7-0 Sox win - four errors by the Senators, a screwball inning in which two runners scored on a wild pitch - and Ryan was called out at home. A whopping 1,616 fans saw this play-it-out game at Fenway.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BOS/BOS196410030.shtml

Poor Ed Brinkman..

But to keep this on-topic - Jerry Moses came to the rescue shortly thereafter...!
 
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section15

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To resolve a two year old mystery - why Jerry Moses was considered part of the 1967 team but didn't play on the MLB roster that year.

He was on the Pittsfield AA team , and when their season ended he joined the Sox in Boston as their bullpen catcher. So, even though he didn't play he was with the Sox down the stretch and through the WS that year.