Jackie Moore (baseball) - Playing Career

Playing Career

After graduating from Bellaire High School in Houston, Texas, Moore joined the Tigers as an amateur free agent in 1957 when just eighteen years old. He started his minor-league career as an outfielder, with the Montgomery Rebels in 1957, but was converted to catcher in 1958 and remained behind the plate the rest of his playing career. He hit .264, with 43 home runs and 162 runs batted in, in the eight years in the Tigers' farm system before being called up to the parent club for the 1965 season only. He caught twelve innings of a thirteen- inning marathon with the California Angels in his major league debut, and his first major league hit was a thirteenth-inning single that moved the eventual winning run to third. But after that, he didn't get much playing time behind perennial All-Star Bill Freehan (who would lead the "Tighes" to the 1968 world championship and then become the longtime head baseball coach at the University of Michigan) and backup catcher John Sullivan. His major league career consisted of just 53 at-bats with a meager .094. On October 4, 1965, the Tigers acquired starting pitcher Bill Monbouquette from the Boston Red Sox for George Smith, George Thomas and a player to be named later, which turned out to be Moore just nine days later. He spent just one season in the Bosox organization before retiring.