Бобби Мёрсер: Америкалық бейсболшы және комментатор (1946-2008)

American baseball player and broadcaster (1946 2008)

Bobby Ray Murcer (May 20, 1946 – July 12, 2008) was an American professional baseball outfielder who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball between 1965 and 1983. He played the majority of his career for the New York Yankees, whom he later rejoined as a longtime broadcaster. A Gold Glove winner and five time All Star, and was voted to the AP's American League 1970s All Decade team. Murcer led the American League in on base percentage in 1971, and in runs and total bases in 1972.

Murcer played on the football, baseball, and basketball teams as a sophomore at Southeast High School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In his junior year, he made the All district football team. He also helped Southeast High to the conference championship in baseball. As a senior, Murcer showed his athletic abilities by making All State in both football (the state leading scorer) and baseball and was All City (led the city in scoring) in basketball and baseball. As a senior Murcer hit .458 and struck out only once. Later, in the winter of 1964, he signed a letter of intent to play for the Oklahoma Sooners, but in the spring of 1965 he signed a $20,000 ($ today) bonus contract with the Yankees.

Murcer signed a contract with Yankees' scout Tom Greenwade, the same scout who signed fellow Oklahoman Mickey Mantle (Murcer's baseball hero). Murcer signed for a $10,000 bonus in June 1964. He began with the Johnson City, rookie level Appalachian League club in 1964 and hit .365 in 126 at bats. The following season, 1965, he was the Carolina League MVP with the Greensboro (N. C.) Yankees, a Single A affiliate). Murcer hit .322, homered 16 times, drove in 90 runs, and stole 18 bases, playing in his league's All Star game that season. In 1966, he began the season with the Yankees, but was sent down to Toledo of the International League. There he was in the All Star game once again. He hit .266 with 15 home runs and had 63 RBIs to go along with 16 steals. While on leave from the United States Army in 1968, Murcer played seven games in the Fall Instructional League. After his discharge, he played third base for Caguas in the Puerto Rico League, where he drove in 18 runs in 22 games. When Major League Baseball expanded from 20 to 24 teams prior to the 1969 season, the Yankees allegedly protected Murcer and Jerry Kenney from the 1968 MLB expansion draft by making a last minute appeal to other owners to allow players that were fulfilling their military obligation to be exempt from the expansion draft, which allowed the Yankees to protect 17 players instead of 15. The Yankees devised this strategy specifically to protect Murcer, who spent 1967 and 1968 in the Army. Playing in the minor leagues from 1964 to 1966, Murcer hit .302 which does not include his 1–12 stint with the Ft. Lauderdale Yankees in 1985 when he was attempting a comeback to the Yankees or his time with the Instructional League and the Puerto Rico League in 1968.

A shortstop in the minor leagues, 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". Murcer was seventh in MVP voting and was voted to the Sporting News All Star team. Additionally, Murcer was Second team All MLB by both the Associated Press and the Newspaper Enterprise Association. On July 25, Murcer hit a pinch hit grand slam in a win against the Milwaukee Brewers, the first of his seven career grand slams. In 1972, with a new $65,000 salary, Murcer recorded a career high 30 doubles (third in the AL), 7 triples (fourth), 33 home runs (second), and 96 RBIs (third). He also led the AL in runs scored (102), extra base hits (70), and total bases (314), was third in slugging percentage (.537) and hits (171), and 10th in batting (.292). He came in fifth in the AL MVP voting and won a Gold Glove for his fielding. Murcer was fourth in the AL in fielding percentage (.992) led the league in putouts (382), and was third in outfield assists with eleven. On August 29, Murcer hit for the cycle. On June 3, Murcer's five runs scored in a game marked the 11th time it had been done in Yankee history. He 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. No Yankee center fielder topped that mark until 2011 when Curtis Granderson hit 41. Again he was named to The Sporting News AL All Star team and was Second team All MLB by both the AP and NEA. On March 6, 1973, Murcer asked for and received a $100,000 salary for the upcoming season, making him only the third Yankee to make six figures. For that season Murcer was third in the league in hits (187), fourth in batting (.301), and seventh in RBIs (95). He was ninth in the MVP voting. He also led the American League in assists for the second time in four years, with 14. He 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. He narrowly missed his second Gold Glove, finishing fourth in the voting among American League outfielders. He finished with 17 game winning hits, second to AL MVP Reggie Jackson's 18. On July 13, Murcer hit three home runs for the second time in his career and drove in all five runs in a 5–0 win over the Kansas City Royals. On June 30, 1973, baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn fined Murcer $250 for saying that Kuhn didn't have the "guts" to stop Hall of Fame pitcher Gaylord Perry from throwing the spitball. That night, Murcer hit a two run homer off Perry that put the Yankees ahead in a 7–2 victory over the Cleveland Indians. Murcer had made his original comment about Kuhn after Perry beat New York the previous week, which ended the Yankees' eight game winning streak. Kuhn said Murcer apologized in their meeting but Murcer refused to tell newsmen that he had, and he "didn't sound too contrite". Murcer, who flung his right hand into the air when he rounded first after hitting the homer, said to reporters "I hit a hanging spitter." For his career, Murcer hit Perry at a .232 clip with two home runs in 69 at bats. However, much of that low batting average was due to the 2 for 20 performance in the 1972 season, which caused Murcer's ire in the first place. Aside from the abysmal 1972 summer, he had against Perry, who won the A. L. Cy Young Award that year, Murcer hit .286 against him. Murcer also 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. Another time he sent Perry a gallon of lard. Perry retaliated by having a mutual acquaintance cover his hand with grease before shaking hands with Murcer and saying "Gaylord says hello." Early on October 22, Gabe Paul called Murcer to say he had been traded straight up to San Francisco for Bobby Bonds. "The trade came", he remembered, "just after I had told Gabe I could finally accept right field if I knew I would be a Yankee the rest of my career. He said there was no way the Yankees could trade me. Three days later, I was gone." In 1975, wearing uniform #20, Murcer led the National League in sacrifice flies with 12 and was 5th in walks with 91 drove in 91 runs, and batted .298. He also led the Giants in game winning hits with 13. Additionally, he was fourth among NL right fielders in fielding percentage with .981. On May 24, 1975, 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. That week he won the first of two National League Player of the Week awards. (He won the second two weeks later when he hit .483 for the week, including one home run and seven RBI). He played in his fifth All Star game and was Second team All National League by United Press International. However, despite a fine offensive season, he hit only 11 home runs, eliciting this quote from Murcer, "Patty Hearst could be hiding in Candlestick's upper deck and nobody would ever find her", referring to how tough it was to hit long balls at the park where the Giants played their home games. Author Zander Hollander noted that season that "only Murcer's dwindling power keeps him from superstar status" since other than the lack of home runs Murcer had a fine year in his first season as a Giant. On April 6, 1976, the Associated Press reported that Murcer signed for a reported $175,000, making him the highest paid player in Giants history and gave him about a $25,000 raise over his 1975 salary. That season Murcer regained his power swing and was 6th in the NL with 23 home runs, and 7th in RBIs (90). He walked 84 times which was sixth in the NL. He was also 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. His two consecutive seasons with 90 or more RBIs was not duplicated by a San Francisco Giant until Will Clark did it in 1987–88. On May 26, 1976, Murcer hit a grand slam against the Astros and on September 22, 1976, he stole home in a 3–1 victory against the rival Dodgers and a week later, on September 29, 1976, he gloved the final out in John Montefusco's no hitter.

The Giants traded Murcer, Steve Ontiveros, and minor league right handed pitcher Andy Muhlstock to the Chicago Cubs for Bill Madlock and Rob Sperring on February 11, 1977. On March 6, 1977, Murcer signed his first ever multi year deal, calling for $1.6 million over five seasons. The contract made him the highest paid Cub player in history. In the span of four years, Murcer held that distinction for three franchises, the Yankees, Giants and Cubs. As a tribute to Mantle, Murcer wore #7 with the Cubs. That year he led the league with ten sacrifice flies and was eighth in intentional walks (13) while hitting 27 home runs and driving in 89 runs which led the team. Murcer also tied for the team lead (with Bill Buckner) in game winning hits with nine. His 16 steals were second on the club and he drew 80 bases on balls, good for 9th in the NL. Also, Murcer was third among all NL right fielders in assists. He 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. On June 29, 1977, in his return to Candlestick Park, Murcer drove in 6 runs (matching his career high) in a 10–9 win over the Giants. On September 26, 1977, Murcer hit the 200th home run of his career, off future broadcast partner Jim Kaat. Scott's mother told the AP, "It's wonderful that he got to talk to one of the players, and by Murcer hitting the home runs he was thrilled." The AP later reported comments from Kenneth Crull, the young boy's uncle, that "Bobby Murcer did a wonderful thing for Scotty . it was the highlight of his whole life." Linda Crull, the boy's aunt, added, "What Bobby Murcer did was great. But what happened afterward we'd just as soon forget about." ABC's Jackson had relayed the story that had been told to him by a Chicago Cub official Buck Peden and alerted the boy to his own medical condition. Three weeks later, on August 22, Crull died. Ten hours later the Cubs beat the Giants 3–2 at Wrigley Field and Murcer hit his 24th home run. At that point, the Cubs' record was 70–53, and they were 7 1/2 games out, in second place. The Cubs slumped and finished at .500 with an 81–81 record. The homer in the August 22, 1977, "Scott Crull" game was one of 5 game winning home runs Murcer had in 1977. In 1978 he was eighth in the league with 15 intentional walks and walked a total of 80 times, which was ninth in the NL for the second time in a row. He also had one stretch of eight straight hits, a feat not duplicated by a Cub until Andre Dawson did it in 1989. Previously only Billy Williams, in 1972, was the only Chicago Cub to perform that feat. 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. Murcer, on April 25, 1978, hit a grand slam off Steve Carlton in a 4–2 win versus the Philadelphia Phillies. On September 10, 1978, Murcer went 5 for 5, the only 5 hit game of his career. During 4 1/2 seasons in the National League, Murcer was particularly rough on the Los Angeles Dodgers. In 63 games against them Murcer hit .347 with 11 homers and had a slugging percentage of .538.

On June 26, 1979, Murcer returned to the Yankees in a trade for Paul Semall and cash. After wearing uniform #1 from 1969 through 1974, Bobby donned jersey #2, when manager Billy Martin re adopted the #1. On August 2, 1979, Yankees catcher/captain Thurman Munson died in a plane crash. Murcer gave one of the eulogies at his funeral on August 6 in Canton, Ohio, in which he quoted the poet and philosopher Angelo Patri: "The life of a soul on earth lasts longer than his departure. He lives on in your life and the life of all others who knew him." Afterward, the team flew home to play the first place Baltimore Orioles in a game which was broadcast nationally on ABC TV. Yankee manager Billy Martin wanted to give Murcer the day off, but Murcer insisted on playing. He practically won the game single handedly, bringing the Yankees back from a 4–0 deficit with a 3 run homer in the 7th, then hitting a walk off 2 run single down the left field line in the bottom of the 9th, causing Howard Cosell to exclaim what a heroic performance Murcer had put on. Murcer never used the bat from the game again and gave it to Munson's widow, Diana. On July 2, 2004, the Seattle Times reported that Diana Munson put the bat, along with other items of Munson's, up for auction. Mrs. Munson said she wants to use the proceeds to open trust funds for her grandchildren. "You reach an age when you think about the future", she said. In August 2007, the YES Network replayed the game for a new generation of Yankee fans due to a switch of the copyright of the game from ABC to Major League Baseball. About the game, Murcer says that he was playing on "shock adrenaline" and that the game has become "part of my legacy". After the murder of NFL player Sean Taylor, The Washington Post asked Murcer about how an organization deals with such a tragedy, "You can't forget the moment, because it's so emotional", said Murcer, "It's a very moving experience that next game, we got to remember him as an individual and as a team. But it's not only us that's hurting. It's the fans. It's as much for them as it is for you as an individual. It reminds you that the fans who follow the team, it's as big a part of their lives as it is for you." Murcer was fifth in the league in 1980 with nine sacrifice flies. 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. On July 4, 1980, Murcer hit a grand slam in an 11–5 rout of the Cleveland Indians. He was also credited with 13 game winning RBIs in his first full season back from the National League. For the remaining years with the Yankees, he was reduced to a part time player ending his ability to be a star player. In the winter between the 1980 and 1981 season, Murcer traveled to Japan with an American League "All Star" team to play a series of exhibition games against a National League team to reportedly promote American baseball. On opening day in 1981 vs Texas, Murcer hit a pinch hit grand slam at Yankee Stadium. Alfonso Soriano and Russ Derry are the only other two Yankees to achieve that feat. On September 26, 1981, he hit a three run pinch hit homer in the 9th inning in a 6–4 Yankee win over Baltimore. In 1981, he led the pinch hitters of the American League with three home runs and 12 RBIs. He also led the club in slugging percentage (.470). He finished the season by batting as designated hitter in the 1981 World Series. Prior to the 1982 season, Murcer signed a three year, $1.12 million contract with the Yankees. On July 28, 1982, Murcer hit a 3 run pinch hit home run to defeat the Detroit Tigers. On June 1, 1983, Murcer hit his 100th home run at Yankee Stadium, which was the 252nd and final home run of his career. A 1985 comeback attempt ended after four minor league games where Murcer went 1 for 12 before suffering a shoulder injury. Once while playing with the Yankees, he and two other teammates got caught in a bizarre 2–5–3–1 triple play. During his second tenure with the Yankees, he also served as the team's player union representative. He was, at various points in his
career, the highest paid Yankee, Giant, and Cub in history (all since broken) 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. He was also the only Yankee to be teammates with Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, Thurman Munson, Elston Howard, Roger Maris, Reggie Jackson, Don Mattingly, and Ron Guidry.

A left handed hitter, Murcer had a career .277 batting average, finishing with 252 home runs and 1,043 RBIs. He hit .301 with runners on third base. He was only the third New York Yankee (after Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle) to earn $100,000 per season, and at 26 years of age was the youngest American League player to earn a six figure salary. Murcer made the All Star teams from 1971 through 1974 in the American League, and in 1975 in the National League. He also won a Gold Glove in 1972. He 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. The thought is that the second baseman and shortstop will be back on their heels and slow to cover the bag. After working with Mickey Mantle, he was also known as an excellent drag bunter. At his retirement, Murcer's 252 career home runs were tied for 72nd place on the all time home run list, and his 175 home runs as a Yankee put him 11th on the club's career list. At his death, Murcer was tied for 183rd on the all time list. In the 1970s, Murcer drove in 840 runs, the 9th most in the major leagues during that span. Murcer's 119 outfield assists led all major league outfielders for that decade, ahead of Bobby Bonds (106), Rusty Staub (97), Amos Otis (93), Reggie Smith (86), José Cardenal (85), Del Unser (82), and Reggie Jackson (81). His 198 homers tied for 17th in the major leagues for the 1970s, and his .282 batting average was 20th among all players who had 5,000 or more plate appearances. During the 1970s, he led his club in home runs six times (1970, 71, 72, 73, 76, 77). In MLB history only 24 players hit above .275 while also hitting 250 or more home runs, driving in more than 1,000 runs, and stealing more than 125 bases and totaling 45 or more triples. Among that elite group only Murcer, George Brett, and Rogers Hornsby struck out fewer than 1,000 times.

Murcer was also involved in the team as management and part time coach as well. He was an assistant Yankee general manager in 1985, teaming with Ted Robinson. Murcer continued to call games on WPIX until 1998, when the station lost the rights to broadcast the Yankees (they picked up the broadcast rights to the New York Mets instead). He then moved to WNYW, where he and Tim McCarver (and later Suzyn Waldman) shared play by play roles. He remained there until 2001 (calling, among other games, David Cone's 1999 perfect game), and then moved to the YES Network to call the games there and on its broadcast partners (originally WCBS, now WWOR TV), with a reduced workload. Murcer won three Emmy Awards for live sports coverage as the voice of the Yankees. 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. The 2008 award, as announced three months later, went to longtime Seattle broadcaster Dave Niehaus.

Murcer was a tobacco user for most of his life. In the late 1990s, he conceded what he thought was the error of his ways. After having a family member that suffered from cancer, Murcer became an anti tobacco activist, according to the AP. The Senate of the State of Oklahoma passed Senate Bill 619 that purported to "beef up local regulation of tobacco sales to minors". The bill was passed by the lower chamber and signed into law.

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. Murcer was quoted in the Daily Oklahoman as saying, "Roger or Andy, either one, have never been accused of taking illegal drugs", Murcer said. "I mean, they never tested positive for any of that." He further added, "I can't convict somebody on allegations" and "with all the testing that's going on today, and Andy and Roger never testing positive for anything, I can't assume somebody's guilty based on the testimony of a disgruntled trainer."

In May 2008, Murcer's autobiography, Yankee for Life: My 40 Year Journey in Pinstripes, was published by HarperCollins. The book received widespread critical acclaim. The book was a retrospective on Murcer's baseball career and also his personal struggles with illness. It covers the pressure of being the "next Mickey Mantle", his disappointment at being traded away from the Yankees, his "feud" with Gaylord Perry, and lists his "1965–2007 Yankee All Star team".

Aside from his broadcasting, Murcer was active in the media. He had guest appearances on Beat the Clock, Hee Haw, What's My Line? (as a mystery guest), "Let's Make a Deal, appeared in national television ads in the late 1970s along with Carlton Fisk endorsing the dipping tobacco Skoal, and was a guest VJ on MTV with Billy Martin in July 1986. In 1988 Murcer entered and finished the New York City Marathon. He 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. He was also part of a four player biography in 1973, "At Bat! : Aaron Murcer Bench Jackson", by Bill Gutman, published by Tempo Books.