Wally Moon, who became a celebrated figure in the early history of the Los Angeles Dodgers when he lofted “moon shot” home runs over the short left-field screen at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to help take an aging team to a 1959 World Series championship season, died on Friday in Bryan, Tex. He was 87.

His death was announced by the Dodgers.

Moon, a left-handed-hitting outfielder, was the National League’s rookie of the year in 1954, batting .304 for the St. Louis Cardinals, and had several fine seasons afterward. But the Cards traded him to the Dodgers before the 1959 season, when he was coming off an injury.

In their second season in Los Angeles after leaving Brooklyn, the Dodgers still had a lineup with Duke Snider, Gil Hodges and Carl Furillo from their “Boys of Summer” pennant-winning teams, but all were approaching the ends of their careers.

When Moon was installed in left field, he emerged as something of a hero for fans who had long hungered for major-league baseball.