Herb Moford
A journeyman pitcher whose brief Major League career included a unique place in history as an original member of the hapless 1962 New York Mets.
1928–2005 (age 77)·American baseball player·Birthday: August 6·The Silent Generation
Biography
Herb Moford's baseball story is one of persistence and a brush with legendary futility. A right-hander with a decent arm, he spent years honing his craft in the minor leagues before getting his first cup of coffee with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1955. His path was that of the classic baseball nomad: a few appearances for Detroit, a handful more for Boston, always fighting for a spot at the back of a big-league rotation. His final, and most historically notable, stop came in 1962 with the expansion New York Mets. That inaugural Mets team, managed by the beloved Casey Stengel, lost a modern-record 120 games, becoming a symbol of endearing incompetence. Moford was part of that pitching staff, making 11 appearances and absorbing some of the lumps. While his individual statistics were unremarkable, his association with that famously bad team grants him a peculiar immortality in baseball lore. He retired after that season, his career a testament to the thousands of players who touch the majors, if only briefly, and become part of its rich, sprawling tapestry.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Herb was born in 1928, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Herb Was Born
The biggest hits of 1928
#1 Movie
The Singing Fool
Best Picture
Wings
Herb's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1928Born
Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin; Mickey Mouse debuts
President: Calvin Coolidge"Ol' Man River" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: Wings
1933Started school
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1941Became a teenager
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1944Could drive
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1946Could vote
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1949Turned 21
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1958Turned 30
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1968Turned 40
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1978Turned 50
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 60
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 70
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2005Died at 77
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
Key Achievements
- Pitched in Major League Baseball for four different teams across parts of five seasons.
- Was a member of the original 1962 New York Mets expansion team, which holds a unique place in baseball history.
- Had a lengthy and successful career in the minor leagues, winning over 100 games at that level.
Did You Know?
He was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals organization as an amateur free agent in 1949.
In his final MLB appearance on September 26, 1962, he pitched a scoreless inning for the Mets against the Chicago Cubs.
He served in the United States Army during the Korean War era.
After baseball, he returned to his native Kentucky and worked in the tobacco industry.
“I was a pitcher, not a star, and I did my job when they called my number.”
