Moonlight Graham
Encyclopedia
Archibald Wright "Moonlight" Graham (November 10, 1879 – August 25, 1965) was an American
professional baseball
player who appeared as a right fielder
in a single major league game for the New York Giants
on June 29, 1905. His story was popularized by Shoeless Joe, a novel by W. P. Kinsella
, and the subsequent 1989
film Field of Dreams
, starring Kevin Costner
, and featuring Burt Lancaster
and Frank Whaley
as older and younger incarnations of Graham.
, the second of nine children born to Alexander (September 12, 1844 – November 2, 1934) and Katherine B. Sloan (March 8, 1855 – January 1, 1939) Graham. He played college ball at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
and in the minor leagues
for three years before joining the Giants on May 23, 1905. On June 29, the Giants were the visiting team against the Brooklyn Superbas
at Washington Park. For the bottom of the eighth inning
, Graham was sent in to play right field, replacing George Browne
. In the top of the ninth inning, Graham was on deck when Claude Elliott
flied out, resulting in the third and final out. Graham played the bottom of the ninth in right field but never came to bat. That game turned out to be his only appearance in the major leagues.
After playing in the minor leagues (mostly in the Class B New York State League and New England League) through the season, Graham completed his medical degree from the University of Maryland
in 1905. While there, he had also played on the school's 1904 and 1905 baseball teams. He obtained his license the following year and began practicing medicine in Chisholm, Minnesota
.
"Doc" Graham, as he became known after his career as a ballplayer, served the people of Chisholm for fifty years. From 1915 to 1959, Graham was the doctor for the Chisholm schools. The Graham Scholarship Fund, established in his honor, provides financial assistance to two Chisholm High School graduating seniors each year. The award is given to one boy and one girl, $500 to each.
Graham died in Chisholm in 1965. He is buried in Rochester, Minnesota
.
A biography of Graham, Chasing Moonlight: The True Story of Field of Dreams' Doc Graham, was written by sportswriter Brett Friedlander and college professor Robert W. Reising in April 2009.
His brother, Frank Porter Graham
, was president of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
and was later a U. S. Senator
.
happened to notice Graham's entry in The Baseball Encyclopedia. He made note of his unusual career, and then incorporated Graham as a character in his 1982
novel Shoeless Joe, on which the movie Field of Dreams
was based.
In the novel, the dates of Graham's big-league appearance and death are kept as in real life, making the 1905 appearance 74 years prior to the book's 1979 timeframe, and the Ray Kinsella character quickly finds out that Graham has been dead since 1972, although the real Dr. Graham died in 1965. The time-travel scene has Kinsella meeting Graham in 1972, the year of Graham's death.
In the movie, the Fenway Park
scoreboard shows Graham's appearance as having taken place in 1922, 66 years prior to the film's 1988 timeframe. A woman in Minnesota familiar with Graham later says Graham had died in 1972. In the time-travel sequence of the movie, lead character Ray Kinsella goes back to the year of Graham's death, and is told that his appearance was at the end of the season, rather than the middle. In the background of the scene on the street when Ray and Moonlight meet, the Plaza Theatre sign shows The Godfather
is playing, and Ray notices a poster calling for Richard Nixon
's re-election as President of the United States
.
, whose appearance came with the St. Louis Cardinals
in 2007, or Adam Greenberg, whose lone MLB appearance with the Chicago Cubs
in 2005 ended with him being hit by a pitch. Esposito came to bat in a September 18, 2010 game against the Reds and no longer belongs to this group. As for Greenberg, he is still an active player and still has a chance to leave this group as well. Career minor leaguer J. C. Boscan
, a 31-year-old rookie, played in one game for the Atlanta Braves at the end of the 2010 season. Though he walked and scored as a pinch hitter, he was not credited with an official at bat. Pedro Santana
of the Detroit Tigers
entered a game as a late-inning defensive replacement in 2001. He played one inning in the field, and did not register a plate appearance in his only major league game.
A pitching equivalent to Graham is Larry Yount
, who is credited with an official game pitched in the majors despite never throwing a pitch (Yount was injured while warming up).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player who appeared as a right fielder
Right fielder
A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
in a single major league game for the New York Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
on June 29, 1905. His story was popularized by Shoeless Joe, a novel by W. P. Kinsella
W. P. Kinsella
William Patrick Kinsella, OC, OBC is a Canadian novelist and short story writer who is well-known for his novel Shoeless Joe , which was adapted into the movie Field of Dreams in 1989...
, and the subsequent 1989
1989 in film
-Events:* Batman is released on June 23, and goes on to gross over $410 million worldwide.* Actress Kim Basinger and her brother Mick purchase Braselton, Georgia, for $20 million...
film Field of Dreams
Field of Dreams
Field of Dreams is a 1989 American fantasy-drama film directed by Phil Alden Robinson and is from the novel Shoeless Joe by W. P. Kinsella...
, starring Kevin Costner
Kevin Costner
Kevin Michael Costner is an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and businessman. He has been nominated for three BAFTA Awards, won two Academy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Costner's roles include Lt. John J...
, and featuring Burt Lancaster
Burt Lancaster
Burton Stephen "Burt" Lancaster was an American film actor noted for his athletic physique and distinctive smile...
and Frank Whaley
Frank Whaley
Frank Joseph Whaley is an American film and television actor known for his roles in independent films.-Personal life:Whaley was born in Syracuse, New York, the son of Josephine and Robert W. Whaley, Sr. He is half-Irish and half-Sicilian and grew up in Syracuse. He has two sisters and an older...
as older and younger incarnations of Graham.
Biography
Graham was born in Fayetteville, North CarolinaFayetteville, North Carolina
Fayetteville is a city located in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is the county seat of Cumberland County, and is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a U.S. Army post located northwest of the city....
, the second of nine children born to Alexander (September 12, 1844 – November 2, 1934) and Katherine B. Sloan (March 8, 1855 – January 1, 1939) Graham. He played college ball at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
and in the minor leagues
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
for three years before joining the Giants on May 23, 1905. On June 29, the Giants were the visiting team against the Brooklyn Superbas
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
at Washington Park. For the bottom of the eighth inning
Innings
An inning, or innings, is a fixed-length segment of a game in any of a variety of sports – most notably cricket and baseball during which one team attempts to score while the other team attempts to prevent the first from scoring. In cricket, the term innings is both singular and plural and is...
, Graham was sent in to play right field, replacing George Browne
George Browne (baseball)
George Edward Browne was a professional baseball player. He was an outfielder over parts of twelve seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Giants, Boston Doves, Chicago Cubs, Washington Senators, Chicago White Sox and Brooklyn Dodgers. He was the National League leader in runs scored...
. In the top of the ninth inning, Graham was on deck when Claude Elliott
Claude Elliott (baseball)
Claude Judson "Chaucer" Elliott was a professional baseball player. He was a right-handed pitcher over parts of two seasons with the Cincinnati Reds and New York Giants. For his career, he compiled an 3-3 record in 22 appearances, with an 3.33 earned run average and 47 strikeouts...
flied out, resulting in the third and final out. Graham played the bottom of the ninth in right field but never came to bat. That game turned out to be his only appearance in the major leagues.
After playing in the minor leagues (mostly in the Class B New York State League and New England League) through the season, Graham completed his medical degree from the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, Baltimore
University of Maryland, Baltimore, was founded in 1807. It comprises some of the oldest professional schools in the nation and world. It is the original campus of the University System of Maryland. Located on 60 acres in downtown Baltimore, Maryland, it is part of the University System of Maryland...
in 1905. While there, he had also played on the school's 1904 and 1905 baseball teams. He obtained his license the following year and began practicing medicine in Chisholm, Minnesota
Chisholm, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,960 people, 2,178 households, and 1,287 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,129 people per square mile . There were 2,375 housing units at an average density of 540/sq mi...
.
"Doc" Graham, as he became known after his career as a ballplayer, served the people of Chisholm for fifty years. From 1915 to 1959, Graham was the doctor for the Chisholm schools. The Graham Scholarship Fund, established in his honor, provides financial assistance to two Chisholm High School graduating seniors each year. The award is given to one boy and one girl, $500 to each.
Graham died in Chisholm in 1965. He is buried in Rochester, Minnesota
Rochester, Minnesota
Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on both banks of the Zumbro River, The city has a population of 106,769 according to the 2010 United States Census, making it Minnesota's third-largest city and the largest outside of the...
.
A biography of Graham, Chasing Moonlight: The True Story of Field of Dreams' Doc Graham, was written by sportswriter Brett Friedlander and college professor Robert W. Reising in April 2009.
His brother, Frank Porter Graham
Frank Porter Graham
Frank Porter Graham was a president of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and, for a brief period, United States Senator.-Early life:...
, was president of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
and was later a U. S. Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
.
In fiction
In 1975, author W. P. KinsellaW. P. Kinsella
William Patrick Kinsella, OC, OBC is a Canadian novelist and short story writer who is well-known for his novel Shoeless Joe , which was adapted into the movie Field of Dreams in 1989...
happened to notice Graham's entry in The Baseball Encyclopedia. He made note of his unusual career, and then incorporated Graham as a character in his 1982
1982 in literature
The year 1982 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*La Bicyclette Bleue by Régine Deforges becomes France's best selling novel ever.-New books:...
novel Shoeless Joe, on which the movie Field of Dreams
Field of Dreams
Field of Dreams is a 1989 American fantasy-drama film directed by Phil Alden Robinson and is from the novel Shoeless Joe by W. P. Kinsella...
was based.
In the novel, the dates of Graham's big-league appearance and death are kept as in real life, making the 1905 appearance 74 years prior to the book's 1979 timeframe, and the Ray Kinsella character quickly finds out that Graham has been dead since 1972, although the real Dr. Graham died in 1965. The time-travel scene has Kinsella meeting Graham in 1972, the year of Graham's death.
In the movie, the Fenway Park
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
scoreboard shows Graham's appearance as having taken place in 1922, 66 years prior to the film's 1988 timeframe. A woman in Minnesota familiar with Graham later says Graham had died in 1972. In the time-travel sequence of the movie, lead character Ray Kinsella goes back to the year of Graham's death, and is told that his appearance was at the end of the season, rather than the middle. In the background of the scene on the street when Ray and Moonlight meet, the Plaza Theatre sign shows The Godfather
The Godfather
The Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. With a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola and an uncredited Robert Towne, the film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard...
is playing, and Ray notices a poster calling for Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
's re-election as President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
.
Other players
Graham is not the only player to appear in a major league game without getting an at-bat or throwing a pitch. However, due to his introduction to popular culture via Field of Dreams, he is likely the best-known. Thus, his name is often invoked when discussing similar players, such as Brian EspositoBrian Esposito
Brian James Esposito is an American professional baseball catcher who is a free agent.He was recalled from the Memphis Redbirds on May 30, , when the St. Louis Cardinals' starting catcher, Yadier Molina was placed on the disabled list with a fractured wrist...
, whose appearance came with the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
in 2007, or Adam Greenberg, whose lone MLB appearance with the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
in 2005 ended with him being hit by a pitch. Esposito came to bat in a September 18, 2010 game against the Reds and no longer belongs to this group. As for Greenberg, he is still an active player and still has a chance to leave this group as well. Career minor leaguer J. C. Boscan
J. C. Boscan
Jean Carlos "J.C." Boscan is a right-handed Major League Baseball catcher who is currently a free agent...
, a 31-year-old rookie, played in one game for the Atlanta Braves at the end of the 2010 season. Though he walked and scored as a pinch hitter, he was not credited with an official at bat. Pedro Santana
Pedro Santana (baseball)
Pedro C. Santana was a Major League Baseball player in 2001 for the Detroit Tigers. He is 5'11" and weighs 160 lbs....
of the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
entered a game as a late-inning defensive replacement in 2001. He played one inning in the field, and did not register a plate appearance in his only major league game.
A pitching equivalent to Graham is Larry Yount
Larry Yount
Lawrence King "Larry" Yount is a former major league baseball player. Yount is the only player in MLB history to be credited with pitching a game without actually facing a batter...
, who is credited with an official game pitched in the majors despite never throwing a pitch (Yount was injured while warming up).
External links
- BaseballLibrary - career review
- Graham Scholarship Fund
- 100th Anniversary of Moonlight Graham's Only Game
- Article on Moonlight Graham's game
- http://www.fayobserver.com/article_archive?id=1118640&q=Moonlight,Graham Fayetteville Observer article on Graham's life