Moose Solters

Julius Joseph Solters
born Julius Joseph Soltesz

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 190 lb.
• High School Fifth Avenue High School
• Debut April 17, 1934
• Final Game September 26, 1943
• Born March 22, 1906 in Pittsburgh, PA USA
• Died September 28, 1975 in Pittsburgh, PA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Moose Solters played nine years in the big leagues, all in the American League. In his best year, with the 1937 Cleveland Indians, he hit .323 with 42 doubles, 11 triples and 20 home runs. He came to the majors at age 28, having played seven seasons in the minors. He got his chance at the bigs when he played for the minor league Orioles in 1933, hitting .363 with 36 home runs.

In 1941, he was hit by an errant baseball while walking onto the field at Griffith Stadium, fracturing his skull. Solters attempted a comeback in 1943 but failing eyesight attributed to the injury resulted in him retiring after just 42 games.

Solters then returned to Pittsburgh, PA and opened a tavern in the Beltzhoover neighborhood. Bill Veeck bought Solters' contract in December of 1943 and attempted to talk Solters into another comeback but he was adamant. In 1949, Solters, by then almost totally blind, and a companion were granted free admission to any major league game for the rest of his life. That companion was usually his son Joe.

• Sources include the Milwaukee Journal for 11 March 1949, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for 8 February 1949 and 13 December 1949, and The Game That Was: The George Brace Photo Collection by Richard Cahan & Mark Jacob.

Marv Owen and Moose Solters were both born on March 22, 1906. Both played nine years in the majors and both appeared exclusively in the American League for several teams. However, they were never on the same team at the same time. The closest they came was when Marv was with the Chicago White Sox in 1938-39, while Moose was with the White Sox in 1940-41.

Notable Achievements

• 20-Home Run Seasons: 1 (1937)
• 100 RBI Seasons: 3 (1935-1937)
• 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 1 (1936)
• 200 Hits Seasons: 1 (1935)

Related Sites

• Moose Solters at the SABR Bio Project