Failure is often even more fascinating than success. I am definitely intrigued by the 1932 Boston Red Sox, the worst Red Sox team of all time. The team finished with a record of 43-111, for a winning percentage of .279 and very little went right.
Wilcy Moore did not make it to the Major Leagues until the age of 29, but he did it with the 1927 Yankees, one of the greatest teams of all time. Moore was used primarily as a relief ace, but he put up some terrific numbers. In 50 games pitched, he started 12, Moore had a record of 19-7, with a league-leading 2.28 ERA and 13 saves. He pitched 213 innings. Moore's numbers declined the next couple of seasons and he found himself back in minor league purgatory for the 1930 season.
The Red Sox drafted him from the Rule 5 Draft and inserted him into their pitching staff for the 1931 season. His record of 11-13 was deceiving because he actually had a very good year. Pitching in a role similar to his time with the '27 Yankees, he pitched in 53 games with 15 starts. He threw 185.1 innings with a 3.88 ERA and saved eight games to lead the league.
Moore started the 1932 season with the Red Sox, but had a record of 4-10 with a 5.23 ERA with four saves in 84.1 innings. The Yankees, needing some bullpen help, acquired him from Boston for Gordon "Dusty" Rhodes. Moore stepped up and pitched well for the Yankees the rest of the way, of course. He had an ERA of 2.52 in 25 innings. He pitched one more year for the Yankees and struggled. That was it for his Major League career.
Moore had a 15-23 record with the Red Sox. He threw 269.2 innings, striking out 65 and walking 97 with an ERA of 4.31 and 12 saves. He was a relief ace at a time when there were very few, but his inconsistency from year to year and starting his Major League career at almost 30 years of age prevented him from having a lengthy career.
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