THE BREAKING POINT

July 31, 2023

Today's story is about an all-star closer whose crumbling reality pushed him to shoot his wife and commit suicide.

Donnie Moore killed himself on July 18, 1989.

Most people believed it was because he got released from the Royals five weeks before, and that's part of it, but the whole story is much deeper and darker than baseball.

Before we get there, you might be asking who is Donnie Moore?

Moore was a talented pitcher who played for several MLB clubs.

Donnie had a standout season in ’85 for the Angels, and was voted into the All-Star Game.

That year he finished with a 1.92 ERA.

He had a filthy splitter, but struggled with control problems, which often led to blown saves and earned him a reputation as a volatile pitcher. 

Despite having some success in the big leagues, Donnie found himself in the minor leagues at the age of 35, playing for the Omaha Royals.

Years of throwing splitters had taken their toll on the closer, and his stuff wasn’t what it used to be.

His body was breaking down, and so was his personal life.

Moore and his wife, Tonya, had been together since they both were 11 years old; they got married at 18.

Over the years, their relationship became extremely toxic.

The love ran deep, but they were terrible for each other in almost every way - especially when Donnie got violent.

Moore controlled everything his wife did - she even had to ask his permission to do simple things like go shopping or get her hair done.

One afternoon, Donnie got the call that no ballplayer ever wants to get from Sal Rende, the Royals manager.

Sal asked him to come down to the office, and Donnie knew it only meant one thing: he was being released.

Of course, Donnie kind of expected it - his numbers were atrocious that year; a far cry from his performance in the big leagues.

Even though he showed no emotion to those around him, his family could tell he was crushed.

At the same time, Tonya was tired of the abuse and was in the process of leaving Donnie.

When Donnie arrived at 4610 Cerro Vista, the home he'd bought upon signing his $3 million contract with the Angels in ’86, his wife had left with the kids.

On top of his career and personal life being obliterated, Donnie was also facing legal issues.

The Moores had built their home in the Orange County hills, where the homes abutted wilderness.

The land that the house was built on was uneven, and one corner of the home had started to droop.

Donnie’s lawyer filed suit against the developer on Donnie’s behalf.

Winning the case would mean that he could sell the house, but losing meant he'd be stuck with a mansion he could no longer afford.

The combination of all these things happening at once started to become overwhelming.

Baseball and his wife were Donnie's two most prized possessions in life, and he was losing both at once.

Mix in the financial pressure and you've got a recipe for a tragedy.

On July 17th, Donnie called his former Angels teammate, Reggie Jackson, and asked to borrow money.

Reggie never revealed how much, but it was enough that he felt he had to say no.

The next day, Donnie invited Tonya over to talk about selling their house.

Tonya’s daughter, Demetria, dropped her mom off.

Donnie asked Demetria to go grab a part for a home repair he was working on.

Everything was apparently fine until Tonya and Donnie got into an argument over Tonya talking to a man on the phone.

Donnie hit her, and she started to leave with her sons.

Tonya called Demetria to come back and pick her up ASAP.

The argument continued.

At one point, Donnie walked away, and came back with a gun.

First he pointed it at himself - Tonya said “Really?! You’re going to shoot yourself in front of the f**king kids?”

He aimed the .45 at her instead, fired it three times, then turned it on himself.

Tonya was shot once in the neck and twice in the upper torso.

Miraculously, she survived.

The incident shocked the baseball community and sparked a nationwide conversation about the pressures of professional athletics, and the strain it can have on mental health.

It's also a story about domestic violence, and the collective pain for the families who experience it.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the national hotline at 800-799-7233.

BASEBALL TRIVIA

We’ll include the correct answer in tomorrow’s intro!

STRANGE NAMES

If you're just joining us, we play this game every day where we try to find the weirdest names throughout baseball history.

Why? Don't ask us, it's just something we like to do.

If you've been rocking with us for awhile now, you know what time it is.

Today's winner is:

Red Bird had a big-league career that was shorter than Oppenheimer.

He pitched five innings with the Senators and gave up three runs.

Apparently, that’s all they needed to see.

Unfortunately, that was his one-and-only chance, Bird never made it back to the Major Leagues.

THE DEAD LEGENDS ARCHIVE

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