Charlie Moore, an outfielder and catcher who played 14 years with the Milwaukee Brewers and made an essential throw during Milwaukee’s 1982 postseason run, died at age 72 according to the team.
“Charlie was known as an unselfish and versatile player and teammate who was always willing to do whatever he could to help the team win,” the Brewers wrote in a social-media post. “Our condolences go out to his family, friends and fans.”
The Brewers mourn the passing of Charlie Moore pic.twitter.com/mv1k3dhlkt
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) May 24, 2026
The native of Alabama who spent all but one of his 15 Major League Baseball seasons with the Brewers, played from 1973 to 1986 in Milwaukee, splitting his time between catcher and right field. His biggest moment came in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series in 1982, when he nabbed Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson trying to move from first to third on a single, setting the stage for a Brewers win and their only trip to the World Series in franchise history.
Jackson drew a one-out walk against Pete Vuckovich in the fifth, and the California Angels — already ahead, 3-2 — appeared to be in business when Fred Lynn shot a single through the right side. But Moore came up firing in right field, and his seed to Paul Molitor at third base was on the money to retire Jackson and short-circuit the rally. It paid dividends when Don Baylor singled one batter later; Vuckovich struck out Doug DeCinces to end the threat.
“The ball bounced waist high so I got a good break,” said Moore, who had 13 outfield assists during the season. “I figured he’d be going. Everyone’s playing aggressively in a series like this. But I knew I had a good throw when I let it go.”
In the bottom of the seventh, Moore singled with one out and was standing on third base when Cecil Cooper delivered one of the most famous hits in Brewers history, a bases-loaded single that flipped the scoreboard to a 4-3 lead for the Brewers that they would keep and win the series. Moore and Jim Gantner embraced at home plate after Gantner slid in with the go-ahead tally.
Moore played in all 12 of Milwaukee’s postseason games in 1982; he went 9 for 26 with three doubles and two RBIs in the seven-game World Series loss to the Cardinals. He also made another great defensive play with a diving catch in Game 5 of the World Series to rob Lonnie Smith in a game the Brewers won.
According to his profile written by the Society of American Baseball Research, Moore turned down an opportunity to play quarterback at Auburn University when he agreed to join the Brewers organization after he was selected in the fifth round of the 1971 draft.
On his way to becoming a big-league regular, he became the last runner driven in by Hank Aaron on a sixth-inning single Oct. 3, 1976, when Aaron finished his illustrious career with two final seasons as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers. In 1980, Moore became the first MLB player to hit for the cycle and steal two bases in the same game, a feat he turned against the Angels.
Moore made the nontraditional switch from catcher to right field, first dipping his toe in the water in 1981 and then more steadily in 1982.
With his newfound versatility as a part of the equation, Moore signed a five-year contract to remain with the Brewers in 1981, even after the team had acquired future Hall of Famer Ted Simmons at catcher. But Moore returned behind the plate later in his career, including 102 games in 1985.
Moore has a place on the Brewers Wall of Honor and returned for celebrations commemorating the 1982 team at American Family Field. He was a career .262 hitter with the Brewers, with 36 homers and 408 RBIs in a Brewers uniform. He had a .675 OPS.
He was inducted in 2025 into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, an honor he shares with Aaron and Packers legend Bart Starr.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Charlie Moore, longtime Brewers catcher and outfielder, dies at 72