Herb Moford

Herbert Moford

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 175 lb.
• High School Bracken County High School
• Debut April 12, 1955
• Final Game April 29, 1962
• Born August 6, 1928 in Brooksville, KY USA
• Died December 3, 2005 in Cincinnati, OH USA

BR page

Biographical Information

18-year-old right-hander Herb Moford was signed as an amateur free agent by the St. Louis Cardinals before the 1947 season. In his initial season he was with two teams, the Salisbury Cardinals and the Johnson City Cardinals, going 6-13 in a split season with a combined 4.84 ERA. He came back with a good second year in 1948, going 20-4 for Salisbury with a 2.39 ERA.

Moford had a good year with the Allentown Cardinals in 1950, going 14-7 with a 2.98 ERA and in 1954 he won 17 and lost 14 for the Columbus Red Birds. In 1951, he spent some months in the Army Reserves, cutting his season short. He got a look at Sportsman's Park for the first time in 1955. He appeared in 14 games and went 1-1. His railroad lost a few wheels and a little steam and the Cardinals traded him to the Detroit Tigers for Bob Thorpe on July 14, 1957.

Herb was with the AAA Charleston Senators, won six and lost none with an 0.95 ERA and wound up at Briggs Stadium, going 4-9 in 25 appearances with a 3.61 ERA and the Detroit club in 1958. The Tigers then passed him on to the Boston Red Sox on December 2nd. Moford wound up with two more stops in the majors, going 0-2 with the Red Sox in 1959 and winding down his career with the New York Mets in 1962, losing his only decision in 7 appearances as one of a bevy of pitchers to appear on that historically awful squad. He appeared in the very first game in Mets history as a relief pitcher. Herb finished at 5-13 with a 5.03 in his four shots at the big leagues.

Overall, Moford spent 17 seasons in pro baseball (1947-1963), a lot more in the minors then in the majors, and wound up his minor league career with a very respectable 147-131 record, appearing in 462 games with a 3.83 ERA.

A tobacco farmer and cattle rancher in Minerva, KY, Herb served as the campaign manager for former teammate Jim Bunning's unsuccessful attempt to be elected Governor of Kentucky in 1983.

Related Sites

• Herb Moford at the SABR Bio Project
• BR Minors page