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Skowron was born in Chicago, Illinois. His father was a garbage collector. His friends called him Mussolini as a joke, after his grandfather gave him a haircut which looked like the dictator's, but his family shortened the nickname to Moose. The name stuck throughout his career.
He went to Purdue University on a football scholarship, but found himself better suited to baseball when he hit .500 as a sophomore, a record in the Big Ten Conference that lasted ten years.
He was signed by the New York Yankees in 1950 as an amateur free agent. He played his first game for the Yankees on April 13, 1954. He wore uniform number 53 in the 1954 season, but switched to #14 in 1955 and stayed with that number for the rest of his years with the Yankees. In the beginning, he was platooned at first base with Joe Collins, but from 1958Events January January 1 Treaty of Rome founding the EU is implemented January 4 Sputnik 1 falls to Earth from its orbit (launched on October 4 1957) January 8 14 year old Bobby Fischer wins the United States Chess Championship January 18 Armed Lumbee Nat on he became the Yankees' full time first baseman. He played in five All-Star GamesThe Major League Baseball All-Star Game is an annual exhibition baseball game between the best players from the National League and the American League. The All-Star Game usually occurs in mid-July and marks the middle of the Major League Baseball season. as a Yankee: 1957Events January January 2 San Francisco and Los Angeles stock exchanges merge. January 3 Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch January 4 After 69 years the last issue of Colliers magazine is published January 5 Russell Endean becomes t, 1958Events January January 1 Treaty of Rome founding the EU is implemented January 4 Sputnik 1 falls to Earth from its orbit (launched on October 4 1957) January 8 14 year old Bobby Fischer wins the United States Chess Championship January 18 Armed Lumbee Nat, 1959Events January-February January 1 Cultivars of plants named after this date must be named in a modern language, not in Latin. January 1 Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when forces of Fidel Castro advance January 2 CBS Radio cuts four soap operas: Bac, 1960Events January-February January 1 Independence of Cameroon January 9 Aswan High Dam construction begins in Egypt January 11 Chad declares its independence. January 14 Ralph Chubb, the gay poet and printer, dies at Fair Oak Cottage in Hampshire. January 23, and 19611961 (As MAD Magazine pointed out on its first cover for the year) was the first "upside-down" year i. one that looked the same upside down since 1881, and the last until 6009. Events January January 1 The farthing coin, used since the 13th century, cease.
On November 26November 26 is the 330th day (331st on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 35 days remaining. Events 1778 In the Hawaiian Islands, Captain James Cook becomes the first European to discover Maui. 1805 Official opening of Thomas Tel, 1962Events January January 1 Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand January 3 Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro January 4 New York City introduces a train that operates without a crew on-board January 8 Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa is e he was traded by the Yankees to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Stan Williams . He kept his Yankee uniform number, 14, on the Dodgers.
On December 6, 1963 he was purchased from the Dodgers by the Washington Senators (currently the Texas Rangers). The Senators gave him uniform number 3.
On July 13, 1964 he was traded by the Senators to the Chicago White Sox. He took uniform number 5 on the Sox at first, but with the 1965 season went back to his old uniform number on the Yankees and Dodgers, 14. In 1965 he once more got to play in the All-Star Game.
On May 6, 1967 he was traded by the White Sox to the California Angels. He kept his uniform number 14 on the Angels.
He was released by the Angels on October 9, 1967.
He played in a total of 1478 games, all but 15 as a first baseman. (He was in 13 games as a third baseman and two as a second baseman.)
On June 12, 1980 he was inducted into the National Polish-American Hall of Fame.