Moonlight Graham makes his only appearance

Debut

On June 29, 1905 At Brooklyn, the Giants tally seven runs in the first three innings off Mal Eason to coast to an 11 – 1 victory. Christy Mathewson leaves after five innings of shutout ball. Dan McGann paces the offense with a triple and homer, while Moonlight Graham, in his only game in the majors, takes over in right field as a late-inning replacement. Graham will have no at-bats but will be made famous in the movie Field of Dreams.

If not for W.P. Kinsella, it’s likely that Archibald “Moonlight” Graham would have remained a baseball footnote instead of a popular culture figure. When Kinsella explored Graham’s one-game major-league career in his 1982 novel Shoeless Joe, he tapped into the bedrock curiosity of baseball fans craving stories beyond statistics.

In the image, from 1906 Scranton Miners features star outfielder Archibald Moonlight Graham (middle row, 3rd from L). • Graham led the New York State League with a .336 BA and a career-high 38 SB. • Appeared in his lone MLB game on June 29, 1905.

“It was the last day of the season. Bottom of the eighth inning, we were way ahead. I had been up with the club about, oh about three weeks, but I hadn’t seen any action. Suddenly, old John McGraw points a bony finger in my direction and he says, ‘Right field.’ I jumped up like I was sittin’ on a spring. Grabbed by glove and ran out onto the field.”

“Did you get to make a play?”

“Never hit the ball out of the infield. Game ended. The season was over. I knew they’d send me back down. I couldn’t bear the thought of another year in the minors. So, I decided to hang ’em up.” – Burt Lancaster Field of Dreams

Read more about Moonlight Graham’s Only Game

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