Starting Nine: Fine aged leather
The Hall of Fame's Starting Nine includes must-see artifacts from every big league team. Check out the Rockies Starting Nine online.
When Jamie Moyer took the mound for the Colorado Rockies against the Padres on April 17, 2012, the first batter he faced was San Diego’s Cameron Maybin – who was born April 4, 1987.
By that date, Moyer already had seven wins and 16 starts on his big league resume. The 49-year-old Moyer, however, was still good enough to induce Maybin into a harmless groundout to second base.
Less than three hours later, Moyer became the oldest pitcher in history to record a big league victory.
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At 49 years and 150 days old, Moyer pitched seven innings, allowing six hits and no earned runs in Colorado’s 5-3 win over San Diego. The previous mark of 49 years, 70 days was set by Jack Quinn of the Dodgers on Sept. 13, 1932.
“I wish I was a baseball historian,” Moyer told the Associated Press, acknowledging that he didn’t know much about Quinn – who won 247 games over 23 seasons and was born on July 1, 1883, in Slovakia. “As players, we should know more about the game, the history of the game. You need to respect the game and the people that came before you.”
Moyer showed his immense respect for the game for 25 seasons, logging 269 victories despite not even being drafted out of high school. But Moyer continually refined his craft – first at St. Joseph’s University and then after becoming the Cubs’ sixth-round pick in the 1984 MLB Draft.
Without a blazing fastball, the left-handed Moyer persevered through several difficult seasons in his 20s before finding a home in Seattle with the Mariners in the late 1990s. From 1997-2003, Moyer won 113 games while posting a 3.75 ERA, baffling batters with change-of-speed offerings.
After a trade to his hometown Phillies in 2006. Moyer became a rotation stalwart on a rising National League powerhouse. At age 45, he went 16-7 in 2008 to help Philadelphia win the World Series.
Then in 2010, Moyer left a start on July 20 against the Cardinals after pitching just one inning. He was eventually diagnosed with a torn ulna collateral ligament, but Moyer pressed on – opting for Tommy John surgery to repair his arm. The Rockies signed him to a free agent contract on Jan. 18. 2012, and he went 2-5 in 10 starts for Colorado before retiring midway through the 2012 season.
“As my wife told me a few years back when I was in Seattle: ‘Enjoy it. You’re playing on borrowed time,’” Moyer told the Palm Beach Post.
After a resilient career that repeatedly saw him defy the odds, Moyer more than repaid the game.
The glove Moyer wore in his record-setting game is on display in the Museum’s Your Team Today exhibit.
Craig Muder is the director of communications for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
Starting Nine
The Hall of Fame's Starting Nine is a lineup of must-see artifacts from our vast collection containing tens of thousands of pieces that preserve the magical moments and memorable stories of our National Pastime. Our curators have spent countless hours hand-picking special objects from every major league team to create a lineup of pieces you simply won’t believe we have!