Why is Mike Shannon called the Moon Man?

Mike Shannon was an American professional baseball third baseman and right fielder.

Shannon played in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1962 to 1970. He played nine seasons for the Cardinals, hitting a home run in each of the three World Series in which he played.

After retirement, he worked as a Cardinals radio broadcaster from 1972 to 2021. He died on April 29, 2023, at age 83.

Why is Mike Shannon called the Moon Man?

Mike Shannon reportedly earned the nickname Moon Man while playing In Triple-A with Portland in the Pacific Coast League in 1961 – for the way he appeared to float while dodging a pitch thrown behind him.

According to his former teammate Tim McCarver, Shannon earned the nickname Moon Man because of the moon shots he’d hit.

One also believed the nickname stemmed from the way he seemed to drift from topic to topic in conversation, leaving teammates confused as to what exactly had been said.