Bobby Ray Murcer was an American professional baseball outfielder who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball between 1965 and 1983.
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85 Facts About Bobby Murcer
2.
Bobby Murcer played the majority of his career for the New York Yankees, whom he later rejoined as a longtime broadcaster.
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3.
Bobby Murcer played on the football, baseball, and basketball teams as a sophomore at Southeast High School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
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4.
Bobby Murcer helped Southeast High to the conference championship in baseball.
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5.
Bobby Murcer signed a contract with Yankees' scout Tom Greenwade, the same scout who signed fellow Oklahoman Mickey Mantle.
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6.
Bobby Murcer began with the Johnson City, rookie-level Appalachian League club in 1964 and hit.
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7.
Shortstop in the minor leagues, Bobby Murcer was slated to play the position for the Yankees but ended up being a center fielder, following in the footsteps of Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio, and there were strong expectations that he would be "the next Mantle".
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8.
Bobby Murcer became one of the team's most popular players of the era.
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9.
Bobby Murcer's first hit in the major leagues, in 1965, was a game-winning home run.
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10.
Bobby Murcer said playing alongside Mantle in that game was the "greatest thrill of his career".
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11.
Bobby Murcer began the 1966 season with the major league club but was sent down to Triple-A.
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12.
Bobby Murcer recalled, "I laid out seven days, and I lost my groove and my momentum".
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13.
Bobby Murcer led off the inning with a shot into the right-field bleachers.
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14.
Bobby Murcer tied for the American League lead in outfield assists in 1970 with 15, while committing only 3 errors in center field.
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15.
In June 1970, Bobby Murcer hit home runs in four consecutive at-bats in a doubleheader against the Cleveland Indians, tying an American League record and joining Lou Gehrig, Johnny Blanchard, and Mickey Mantle as the only Yankees to hit home runs in four consecutive at-bats.
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16.
In 1971, Bobby Murcer earned a raise to $35,000 and he ended the 1971 season with a career-high.
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18.
Additionally, Bobby Murcer was Second-team All-MLB by both the Associated Press and the Newspaper Enterprise Association.
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19.
In 1972, with a new $65,000 salary, Bobby Murcer recorded a career-high 30 doubles, 7 triples, 33 home runs, and 96 RBIs.
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21.
Bobby Murcer was named to the Sporting News All-Star team again and Murcer's 33 home runs were the most by a Yankee centerfielder since Mickey Mantle hit 35 in 1964.
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22.
On March 6,1973, Bobby Murcer asked for and received a $100,000 salary for the upcoming season, making him only the third Yankee to make six figures.
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23.
Bobby Murcer led the American League in assists for the second time in four years, with 14.
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24.
Bobby Murcer made the Sporting News All-Star team for the third time in his career and for the third time in three seasons he was Second-team All-MLB by both the AP and NEA.
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25.
Bobby Murcer narrowly missed his second Gold Glove, finishing fourth in the voting among American League outfielders.
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26.
Bobby Murcer finished with 17 game-winning hits, second to AL MVP Reggie Jackson's 18.
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27.
Bobby Murcer had made his original comment about Kuhn after Perry beat New York the previous week, which ended the Yankees' eight-game winning streak.
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28.
Kuhn said Bobby Murcer apologized in their meeting but Bobby Murcer refused to tell newsmen that he had, and he "didn't sound too contrite".
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29.
Bobby Murcer had some fun with Perry; he once caught a fly for the last out of an inning and spit on the ball before tossing it to him.
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30.
Bobby Murcer, who had hit 25 homers with regularity, found it hard to hit home runs at Shea Stadium, where the Yankees played in 1974 and 1975 while Yankee Stadium was renovated.
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31.
In 1974 Bobby Murcer led all major league outfielders in assists by throwing out 21 baserunners.
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32.
Bobby Murcer was second in the AL in sacrifice flies, seventh in RBIs, and ninth in intentional walks, and was an American League All-Star for the brought consecutive season and was the highest-paid player in Yankee history, earning $120,000.
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33.
On May 24,1975, Bobby Murcer went 2 for 3 with a triple and a home run and had a career-high 6 RBIs in a win over the Cubs.
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34.
Bobby Murcer played in his fifth All-Star game and was Second-team All-National League by United Press International.
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35.
That season Bobby Murcer regained his power swing and was 6th in the NL with 23 home runs, and 7th in RBIs.
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36.
Bobby Murcer was voted the Giants MVP after leading the Giants in home runs and tied for the team lead in steals with 12 and was second on the club with 10 game-winning RBI.
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37.
Bobby Murcer tied for the team lead in game-winning hits with nine.
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38.
Bobby Murcer was voted to the UPI All-National League team making it six times in seven seasons he received some kind of post-season honor by a national press organization.
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39.
On September 26,1977, Bobby Murcer hit the 200th home run of his career, off future broadcast partner Jim Kaat.
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40.
Bobby Murcer denied he made an outright promise to Crull, as ABC had reported during the game.
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41.
Bobby Murcer had one stretch of eight straight hits, a feat not duplicated by a Cub until Andre Dawson did it in 1989.
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42.
Bobby Murcer is one of seven Cubs to have three multiple intentional-walk games since 1960, joining Ernie Banks, Sammy Sosa, Billy Williams, Don Kessinger, Derek Lee, and Andre Dawson.
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43.
On June 26,1979, Bobby Murcer returned to the Yankees in a trade for Paul Semall and cash.
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44.
Bobby Murcer never used the bat from the game again and gave it to Munson's widow, Diana.
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45.
About the game, Bobby Murcer says that he was playing on "shock adrenaline" and that the game has become "part of my legacy".
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46.
Bobby Murcer was fifth in the league in 1980 with nine sacrifice flies.
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47.
Bobby Murcer cracked a two-out, two-run homer in the ninth inning on June 14,1980, rallying the Yankees to a win over the Oakland A's.
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48.
Bobby Murcer was credited with 13 game-winning RBIs in his first full season back from the National League.
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49.
Bobby Murcer finished the season by batting as designated hitter in the 1981 World Series.
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50.
On July 28,1982, Bobby Murcer hit a 3-run pinch-hit home run to defeat the Detroit Tigers.
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51.
On June 1,1983, Bobby Murcer hit his 100th home run at Yankee Stadium, which was the 252nd and final home run of his career.
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52.
Bobby Murcer, fittingly, was the last active player to have been a playing teammate of Mickey Mantle.
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53.
Since baseball's contracts are guaranteed Bobby Murcer collected the remainder of his contract through 1984.
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54.
Bobby Murcer was, at various points in his career, the highest-paid Yankee, Giant, and Cub in history and in his 17-years in the Major Leagues Murcer earned just shy of $3 million, including the signing bonus he received in the 1960s, meaning his career average was around $173,000.
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55.
Bobby Murcer was the only Yankee to be teammates with Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, Thurman Munson, Elston Howard, Roger Maris, Reggie Jackson, Don Mattingly, and Ron Guidry.
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56.
Bobby Murcer was only the third New York Yankee to earn $100,000 per season, and at 26 years of age was the youngest American League player to earn a six-figure salary.
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57.
Bobby Murcer made the All-Star teams from 1971 through 1974 in the American League, and in 1975 in the National League.
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58.
Bobby Murcer was noted for excelling at the delayed steal in which, as the catcher catches the ball or is about to throw the ball back to the pitcher, the runner on first base breaks for second base.
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59.
Bobby Murcer was involved in the team as management and part-time coach as well.
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60.
Bobby Murcer was an assistant Yankee general manager in 1985, and individually worked with Rickey Henderson's rehab efforts when Henderson was brought to the Yankees.
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61.
Bobby Murcer was a regular at the annual Yankees Old Timer's Game, playing his last game in 2007.
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62.
Bobby Murcer was a sportscaster for the Yankees—on broadcast TV, radio, and the YES Network—for most of the two decades.
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64.
Bobby Murcer then moved to WNYW, where he and Tim McCarver shared play-by-play roles.
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65.
Bobby Murcer would remain there until 2001, and then moved to the YES Network to call the games there and on its broadcast partners, with a reduced workload.
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66.
Bobby Murcer won three Emmy Awards for live sports coverage as the voice of the Yankees.
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67.
In November 2007, Murcer was nominated for the Ford C Frick Award, presented annually to a broadcaster for "major contributions to baseball" by the Baseball Hall of Fame.
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68.
Bobby Murcer defended Yankee pitchers Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte, who were accused of using performance-enhancing drugs in the Mitchell Report, which was released in December 2007.
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69.
Bobby Murcer was quoted in the Daily Oklahoman as saying, "Roger or Andy, either one, have never been accused of taking illegal drugs", Bobby Murcer said.
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70.
Bobby Murcer recorded two country songs, "Skoal Dippin' Man" and "Bad Whiskey" in 1982, both released by Columbia Records, and appeared in two films as himself, including The Scout.
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71.
Bobby Murcer married his high school sweetheart, Diana Kay Rhodes, in 1966.
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72.
Bobby Murcer appeared in celebrity rodeos for various charitable organizations showing his skills in riding horses and roping.
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73.
Bobby Murcer was diagnosed with a brain tumor on Christmas Eve, 2006, and underwent surgery four days later at The University of Texas M D Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
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74.
Bobby Murcer made his first post-operative appearance on fellow Yankee broadcaster Michael Kay's radio show on WEPN on January 23,2007.
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75.
Bobby Murcer was interviewed by Kay and took phone calls from listeners.
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76.
Bobby Murcer returned to Yankee Stadium for Opening Day of the 2007 season.
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77.
Bobby Murcer called an inning with the YES Network crew, and once his presence was pointed out on the video scoreboard, he received a standing ovation from the crowd, with the Yankees coming out of the dugout to applaud him.
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78.
Bobby Murcer returned to work as an announcer in the booth on May 1,2007.
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79.
Bobby Murcer stated he planned to rest until spring training where he planned to call Yankee games and work in the YES Network studio.
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80.
Bobby Murcer continues to recover from the effects of cancer and shingles, which caused him to cut short his broadcasting work and his book tour earlier this month.
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81.
Bobby Murcer remains hopeful that he will be able to resume his broadcasting work down the road, but for now, is appreciative of the thoughts and prayers of his fans, and wants them to know that he is aware that he is in their hearts, as they are in his.
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82.
Bobby Murcer was reportedly surrounded by family in his deathbed in his home in Oklahoma City.
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83.
Bobby Murcer was a gentleman, a great ambassador for baseball, and a true leader both on and off the field.
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84.
Bobby Murcer was a man of great heart and compassion.
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85.
Bobby Murcer's tomb is located at the Rose Hill Mausoleum in Oklahoma City, on the left side of the building.
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