November 19th, 2021 at 10:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka Dodger fans who were around in the early ’60s vividly recall President John F. Kennedy‘s famous proclamation: “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth.” – a proclamation which indeed came to fruition on July 20, 1969. Unfortunately, our 35th President of the United States did not get to witness it.
However, on that historic night, an estimated 650 million people watched on television, as American astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the Moon, saying his immortal words: “That’s one small step for man. One giant leap for mankind.”
Often overlooked but of equal historical significance was the second man to set foot on the Moon that night – fellow American astronaut Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin Jr.
Dodger fans who were around in the early ’60s also undoubtedly vividly recall an outfielder by the name of Wally Moon, who is best remembered for his very long home runs, which were affectionately (and appropriately) called “Moon Shots.” (Timing is everything, as they say).
Moon was initially signed by the St. Louis Cardinals and was the 1954 National League Rookie of the Year before being traded to the Dodgers in 1958. He was a three-time All-Star, two-time World Series champion, and won a Gold Glove in 1960. He passed on February 9, 2018, at the age of 87.
So, what does any of this have to do with the Dodgers on November 19, 2021? A fair question, to which the answer is basically nothing – except for the fact that Wally Moon was a Dodger and Buzz Aldrin stopped by Dodger Stadium a few years back to visit with Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully.
Another Dodgers-Moon connection occurred at 1:03 a.m. on Friday morning, when the first ‘deep partial lunar eclipse‘ in 580 years appeared over Dodger Stadium.
Undoubtedly there are many Dodger fans who could care less about such (extremely) rare and (extremely) spectacular events.
This Dodger fan is not one of them.
Play Ball!
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As a kid growing up in the late 50s – early 60s I was very much into the Space Race. I read of Wally Moon hitting “Moon Shots” and became a life-long Dodger fan. GO BLUE!
Wally Moon was my first favorite Dodger as a kid.
I, too, was big into the space race as a kid. I had Revell models of all of the U.S. space crafts. I watched in horror as they all came tumbling down during the Sylmar earthquake in 1971, but fortunately was able to rebuild them.
It was a great time in our country’s history.
One of the best articles I have ever read on this site. Very well written: makes us think! – makes us dream! One small detail: wasn’t Wally Moon mainly known for being one of the stars on the 1959 World Champions? So, he must have been traded to the Dodgers before 1961.
Oye… Don’t know how I screwed that one up. You are correct – Wally was traded to the Dodgers from the Cardinals in 1958.
Article corrected.
Thank you!!!