finalyear bats death_date death_place birth_place debutyear finaldate statvalue position finalteam statlabel debutdate birth_date image article_title debutteam name throws
1953 left 09 april 2010 brentwood , new hampshire bradford , massachusetts 1953 september 25 0 -- 0 5.40 5 pitcher chicago cubs win-loss record earned run average innings september 17 30 july 1925 bill_moisan . jpg bill moisan
 chicago cubs bill moisan right
bill moisan

william joseph moisan , jr. -lrb- july 30 , 1925 -- april 9 , 2010 -rrb- was a pitcher in major league baseball who played briefly for the chicago cubs during the season .
listed at , 170 lb. , he batted left-handed and threw right-handed .
moisan was the son of william j. and beatrice a. -lrb- currier -rrb- moisan .
he was born in bradford , massachusetts , and grew up in newton , new hampshire .
in his youth he was interested in baseball , and aspired to become a major leaguer .
he graduated at sanborn seminary , kingston , and went on to attend mcintosh business college before entering military service in december 1943 .
a decorated veteran of world war ii , moisan was stationed at fort benning , georgia , and then fort bragg , north carolina , before going overseas with company g of the 398th infantry regiment , 100th infantry division .
as a technician fifth grade , he served in france in 1944 , and was part of the allied advance into germany in may 1945 , earning the silver star at jagstfeld .
he also received the bronze star medal , purple heart , combat infantryman badge , and battle ribbons with two stars .
after being captured by the german forces and as a prisoner of war , moisan endured a 32-day forced march across germany into austria .
he suffered frozen feet and his weight dropped from 185 pounds to just 95 pounds .
when he was discharged in december 1945 , his feet were so tender that he was unable to cope with the infield work required around first base , his normal position , but still wanted to pursue a career in professional baseball .
following his military discharge , moisan signed with the chicago cubs organization as a free agent in the spring of 1946 .
due to the nature of his injury and his inability to remain as a first baseman , he had the cubs ' support when he made the decision to transition to a pitcher .
basically a knuckleballer , he also was used in pinch-hitting duties .
in his professional debut , moisan posted a combined record of 15 -- 12 and a 3.11 earned run average in 36 games while pitching in the pony and tri-state leagues .
he would spend the next six years in the minor leagues before gaining a promotion to the majors with the 1953 cubs .
in three relief appearances , he allowed three earned runs on five hits and two walks while striking out one batter in 5.0 innings of work .
moisan 's one strikeout came against the great stan musial .
he did not have a decision .
moisan continued pitching in the minors until 1956 .
his most productive years came in the pacific league with the pcl los angeles angels , averaging for them 12 wins per season from 1950 to 1953 , with a career-high 16 wins in 1952 .
in ten minor league seasons , he had a 98 -- 96 record with a 3.81 era in 329 games , 135 as a starter .
a .222 lifetime hitter , he enjoyed his best season in 1953 , posting career numbers in average -lrb- .284 -rrb- , runs -lrb- 15 -rrb- , hits -lrb- 40 -rrb- , home runs -lrb- four -rrb- , rbi -lrb- 23 -rrb- , obp -lrb- .327 -rrb- and slg -lrb- .418 -rrb- .
during his time with the los angeles angels he was once the roommate of actor and professional athlete chuck connors .
following his playing retirement , moisan remained involved with baseball for a significant number of years , mainly coaching teams near his home in new hampshire .
he also served as the nuclear materials manager at the portsmouth naval shipyard , retiring in 1985 .
moisan died in brentwood , new hampshire , at the age of 84 .
