Pirates great Omar Moreno to auction 1979 World Series ring, glove for foundation

Before Omar Moreno moves back to his native Panama, the former Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder is parting with some prized possessions from his personal collection of memorabilia that includes his 1979 World Series ring and the glove with which he caught the final out in the Game 7 win over the Baltimore Orioles.

Those are the top mementos among more than a dozen items being auctioned this weekend by Robert Edward Auctions of Chester, N.J., for which the majority of proceeds will benefit the Omar Moreno Foundation. The auction will be conducted online, with final bids at 9 p.m. Sunday and winners crowned by midnight.

Moreno’s catalogue also features the 1985 World Series ring he won with the Kansas City Royals, a baseball autographed by the 1979 Pirates, a warmup jacket worn during the ’79 World Series, a uniform from the old-timers game the weekend of the 1994 All-Star Game at Three Rivers Stadium and a pair of belt buckles that were gifts from Hall of Famer Willie Stargell, the captain of the 1979 Pirates.

“It was hard for me to part with them because I keep my love for them in the bottom of my heart,” Moreno said of his World Series rings. “I worked so hard for those two rings.”

Robert Edward Auctions president Brian Dwyer believes the entire catalogue could draw as much as $50,000 because of the value of World Series rings, which he called “an immediate conversation piece, something you can show people.”

Moreno spent eight seasons with the Pirates, and 1979 was the best of his 12-year major league career. Batting leadoff, he led the majors with 757 plate appearances and 695 at-bats, slashing .282/.333/.381 with 21 doubles, 12 triples, eight home runs, 69 RBIs and an NL-best 77 stolen bases in 162 games to finish 15th in NL MVP voting. Moreno also slashed .311/.354/.400 in 10 postseason games, going 11 for 33 with two doubles and three RBIs in the World Series.

Moreno’s daughter, Leury Moreno, said her father was so proud of his World Series ring that he wore it as often, if not more so, than his wedding band.

“They all have special meaning but the ring is the hardest one to let go,” Leury Moreno said. “He was so used to wearing it. It signifies a lot.”

Dwyer said that Moreno’s 1979 World Series ring could collect in the same ballpark (an estimated $21,000) that catcher Manny Sanguillen, a fellow Panamanian and close friend, got for his 1979 World Series ring in 2014.

“Even though we’re 40-plus years removed from the World Series, it is the last one in Pittsburgh,” Dwyer said. “There are people who remember and find it a fascinating, special and tangible remembrance of that World Series and its significance to Pittsburgh.”

Leury Moreno said her father found the faded brown leather left-handed glove with his name printed on it in black marker in the basement of his home in Panama City and immediately recognized it as the one he wore to catch Pat Kelly’s fly ball to center for the final out on Oct. 17, 1979, to clinch the 4-1 win over the Orioles in Game 7 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore.

“I think the glove is perhaps the sleeper item of the auction,” Dwyer said. “You cannot have a World Series victory without the last out and only one guy can catch that last out. People remember that high fly ball.”

What Moreno wants to share are items that have special memories for him that fans might be as familiar with, such as the stolen bases presented to him by the Pirates for becoming the first player in modern major league history to steal 70 or more bases in three consecutive seasons (1978-80), breaking the Pirates stolen base record for the third time with 96 steals in 1980 and for his 400th career steal (of 487) in 1982.

Speaking in Spanish and translated through his daughter Leury, Moreno said he cherishes his memories of winning the World Series with the Pirates and wants to share some of his collection with his fans.

“He wants the fan to have a part of him,” Leury Moreno said. “That moment he cherishes and takes with him in his heart. Those are possessions. He loves the game of baseball. He doesn’t want it to get lost and just be somewhere in the archives. It’s a way to showcase his career with fans. That was the main purpose, for fans to have a little piece of him and to always be remembered. It was one of the glory days he helped bring to the City of Pittsburgh.”

Leury Moreno said most of the money generated through the auction will go toward Moreno’s foundation, which helps underprivileged youth in Panama through after-school programs and baseball that have helped keep kids off the streets and get some into college.

“That is my dad’s passion,” Leury Moreno said. “One of the main reasons why he started this foundation and it’s so dear to his heart is that he’s always wanted to help underprivileged children through baseball. That’s what he wants to leave as his legacy.”