Moore nearly usurped Pie Traynor's job as the starting third baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1924, his rookie season.[1] Traynor, mired in a terrible slump, was benched on June 18, and Moore batted .423 in his first 13 games at the position.[1] On the strength of this performance, manager Bill McKechnie declared Moore to be his starter going forward.[1] However, Moore was hit by a pitch from Johnny Stuart of the St. Louis Cardinals on July 1, suffering a dislocated shoulder, and Traynor took advantage of Moore's absence to re-solidify his hold on the position.[1]
The next season, after Rabbit Maranville was traded to the Chicago Cubs, Moore became the Pirates' starting second baseman.[2] He injured his shoulder on May 8, but was forced back into the lineup at less than full strength after only a few days of rest because the father of his backup, Johnny Rutledge, had died unexpectedly.[3]
Moore was sold to the Boston Braves in 1926, after a confrontation with Fred Clarke, who was then working as the Pirates' assistant manager and head of scouting.[4] The trouble began during a doubleheader against the New York Giants on July 12.[4] Moore committed an error in the first game, and was booed by the crowd.[4] He had a habit of reflexively smiling during moments of stress, and when Clarke saw his grin, he took it to be a sign that Moore did not care about what he was doing.[4] The two got into a shouting match in the dugout after the end of the inning, with Moore telling Clarke to "get off the bench".[4] That game was Moore's last with the Pirates.[4] That evening, McKechnie fined Moore and pitcher Emil Yde for what he termed "indifferent play", and on July 20 the team sold Moore to the Braves.[4]
On September 27, 1930, Moore became the last major-league player to hit a "bounce" home run.[5] (Prior to the 1931 season, a ball that bounced from the field of play into the outfield stands was considered a home run.)
Moore helped lead the New Orleans Pelicans to a Southern Association championship in 1933, batting .309 as the team's starting shortstop.[6]
in 748 games over 10 seasons in his major league career, Moore posted a .285 batting average (706-for-2474) with 360 runs, 108 doubles, 26 triples, 13 home runs, 257 RBI, 52 stolen bases, 272 bases on balls, .359 on-base percentage and .366 slugging percentage. He finished his career with an overall .953 fielding percentage. In the 1925 World Series, he hit .231 (6-for-26) with 7 runs, 1 double, 1 home run, 2 RBI and 5 walks.
