As he stepped to the plate at Yankee Stadium on Opening Day in 1966, Bobby Murcer carried with him the hopes and expectations of Yankees fans looking for the next Mickey Mantle. [44] He was reportedly surrounded by family in his deathbed in his home in Oklahoma City. He loved the Yankees so much and the Yankees and all of us fans loved Bobby. The best there ever was. 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. Murcer said he never used the bat again. Bobby Murcer played for 3 teams; the New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs. It was, to Bobby Murcer, his best and most emotional game. Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Baseball Reference Database. He was, at various points in his Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 12:52AM. He is now 62 years old. Want create site? Murcer was traded to the San Francisco Giants for Bobby Bonds in 1975 in baseball's first even swap of $100,000 superstar players. His memoir, Yankee for Life: My 40-Year Journey in Pinstripes, written with Glen Waggoner, was published in May, on his 62nd birthday. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. He was 62. 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. Perry retaliated by having a mutual acquaintance cover his hand with grease before shaking hands with Murcer and saying "Gaylord says hello."[1]. Murcer also authored an autobiography, 2008's "Yankee for Life". $3.99 shipping. At his death, Murcer was tied for 183rd on the all-time list. [36], During his career, he invested in jewelry stores, an oil drilling company, a hair cutting establishment franchise called Yankee Cuts, and racehorses. The next year, Murcer won a Gold Glove award. In 63 games against them Murcer hit .347 with 11 homers and had a slugging percentage of .538.[14]. On the morning of July 18, 1966, Bobby Fuller drove off from his Hollywood apartment in his mother's Oldsmobile after receiving a call from someone, as noted by Ultimate Classic Rock. Summary Bobby R Murcer was born on May 20, 1946, and died at age 62 years old on July 12, 2008. [19] SPONSORED. He was an All-Star several times and did hit 252 career home runs. He hit .266 with 15 home runs and had 63 RBIs to go along with 16 steals. all maps fatal bullet; who is running for senate in maryland 2022 Discover what happened on this day. 1981 Topps Bobby Murcer New York Yankees #602 NMMT . Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at 405-760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. After working with Mickey Mantle, he was also known as an excellent drag bunter.[1]. I've learned, in the four decades since . A death often results from the combined effect of two or more conditions. He heard Cosell, in his staccato style, praise Munson. My condolences! Bobby Murcers mothers name is unknown at this time and his fathers name is under review. Bookmark this page and come back often for updates. Awards. [28], 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. However, no one had told the young man he was dying. Although he left the club for a time, it never left him, and when he got the chance he did not hesitate to return. Find Free Themes and plugins.Murcer recalled, In 1974 Murcer led all major league outfielders in assists by throwing out 21 baserunners. Bobbys Bobby Ray Murcer attended Southeast (Oklahoma City, OK). Bobby 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. On September 26, 1977, Murcer hit the 200th home run of his career, off future broadcast partner Jim Kaat. The combined effects of alcohol, cocaine and the powerful opioid fentanyl caused the death of singer Bobby Brown's son, according to an autopsy report. Accidents are the leading cause of death for people aged 25-44, followed by suicide and cancer. Bobby Murcer Hits for Cycle (8/29/1972) torrjpct 365 subscribers Subscribe 7.3K views 3 years ago Bobby Murcer of the New York Yankees hit for the cycle on August 29, 1972 at Yankee Stadium.. Early on October 22, Gabe Paul called Murcer to say he had been traded straight up to San Francisco for Bobby Bonds. Rose Hill Cemetery, Oklahoma City, OK, High School: Southeast HS (Oklahoma City, OK), School: University of Oklahoma (Norman, OK), Debut: For his career, Murcer hit Perry at a .232 clip with two home runs in 69 at-bats. We present them here for purely educational purposes. He walked 84 times which was sixth in the NL. Murcer spent two seasons in San Francisco and two and a half seasons with the Chicago Cubs. Munson, playing in only his second major league game, hit a pitch into the left-field seats, bringing up Michael, who hit a ball into the right-field seats. At the time of his death, Bobby had already quit acting, and last appeared in "The Virginian" for two episodes in 1967. Bobby Richardson, Mickey Mantle, and Joe Pepitone did it in 1966. In 1987, George Steinbrenner hired Murcer to coach left-handed hitters. Ruling Planet: Bobby Murcer had a ruling planet of Venus and has a ruling planet of Venus and by astrological associations Friday is ruled by Venus. I can feel their thoughts and their prayers and I wanted to tell them how much I love them. Three weeks later, on August 22, Crull died. But Murcer, at 5 feet 11 inches and 160 pounds, had a slighter build than Mantle. . Alzheimer's disease is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States. Baseball Player Born in Oklahoma #20. When I watch the Yankees which is almost every day or night, I think of Bobby quite often. [31], 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. Scott Crull died weeks later, on August 22, 1977, at the age of 12. He had that natural ability,to make you feel as if you knew him&he knew you. In addition, he had planned to work 60 Yankee home games for the 2008 season.[42]. Murcer made his first post-operative appearance on fellow Yankee broadcaster Michael Kay's radio show on WEPN on January 23, 2007. [29] The 2008 award, as announced three months later, went to longtime Seattle broadcaster Dave Niehaus. Murcer persuaded Billy Martin, the manager, that he was not too tired to play the fourth. No Yankee center fielder topped that mark until 2011 when Curtis Granderson hit 41. 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 ($171,975 today) bonus contract with the Yankees.[1][2]. Bobby Ray Murcer (May 20, 1946 - July 12, 2008) was an American Major League Baseball outfielder who played for 17 seasons between 1965 and 1983, mostly with the New York Yankees, whom he later rejoined as a longtime broadcaster. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. or Best Offer. Murcer concluded the interview by saying, "I want to thank you very much for giving me the forum to do this because I wanted you to know that even though this looks bad, I'm doing great. Additionally, Murcer was Second-team All-MLB by both the Associated Press and the Newspaper Enterprise Association. "I mean, they never tested positive for any of that." Yankees 210.5; Mets 147.5; Giants 75; Knicks 60; Nets 54; Jets 49; . Again he was named to The Sporting News AL All-Star team and was Second-team All-MLB by both the AP and NEA. None of us wanted to play, but we did, and I batted in all five runs and we won, 5-4. He was 62. Ten hours later the Cubs beat the Giants 32 at Wrigley Field and Murcer hit his 24th home run. On August 7, 1983, the Yankees honored his years in pinstripes with "Bobby Murcer Day". 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. While he has shown some measured improvement in recent days, this is clearly a major battle, as all who have been through it understand. 1974 Topps MLB Baseball Set Break #1 See Photos for Cond Pick From List 241-485. Its part of my legacy, he said about the game that he and the Yankees played Aug. 6, 1979, hours after flying from Canton, Ohio, where they attended the funeral of Thurman Munson, who died 28 years ago today after crashing his Cessna Citation. In his junior year, he made the All-district football team. 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. Murcer once recalled that after Steinbrenner gained control of the Yankees in 1973, he told me that I was a big part of the Yankee tradition, and always would be.. He teamed at the outset with Phil Rizzuto, Frank Messer and Bill White and remained a Yankee broadcaster most of the time after that until his death. Bobby Murcer would play for the New York Yankees once again from 1979 to 1983. 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. Professional Baseball Player. Javascript is required for the selection of a player. July 12, 2008 Many thanks to him. When a dugout shot found Martin, Murcer said, John Turturro! who portrays the manager the ESPN miniseries The Bronx is Burning.. They went on and on, Murcer said, and I couldnt get any sleep.. They were right. They're not afraid of the hardships in life, but they also tend to worry too much sometimes. While on leave from the United States Army in 1968, Murcer played seven games in the Fall Instructional League. 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. [33] The book was a retrospective on Murcer's baseball career and also his personal struggles with illness. Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports. All-Star. The cause of death was renal failure. He lives on in your life and the life of all others who knew him." [20], The Tug McGraw Foundation, which supports research to improve quality of life for brain tumor patients and their families, honored Murcer as their "Good Guy of 2007". Previously only Billy Williams, in 1972, was the only Chicago Cub to perform that feat. He also led the American League in assists for the second time in four years, with 14. Bobby Murcer, a five-time All-Star outfielder who spent nearly four decades with the New York Yankees as a player, executive and announcer, has died. On opening day in 1981 vs Texas, Murcer hit a pinch-hit grand slam at Yankee Stadium. Bobby Bowden's Cause of Death Confirmed as Illness. A cherished link from former Yankees greats to the club's current stars, Murcer died Saturday due to complications from a malignant brain tumor, the team said. They were married for 42 years until his death, and had two children, Tori and Todd. The benches emptied, and Oyler and. His first hit in the major leagues, in 1965, was a game-winning home run. On August 2, 1979, Yankees catcher/captain Thurman Munson died in a plane crash. 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. In 1972, with a new $65,000 salary,[7] Murcer recorded a career-high 30 doubles (third in the AL), 7 triples (fourth), 33 home runs (second), and 96 RBIs (third). Murcer Revisits Emotional Night About Munson, https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/02/sports/baseball/02sandomir.html. (Age 19-111d, Bobby Murcer produced most of the rare on-field highlights the Yankees had after the dynasty years. acceptable if another cause of death in a, b, or c requires referral to the coroner. He has been under medical care in Oklahoma City. In addition to his wife, Murcer is survived by a son, Todd; a daughter, Tori Witherspoon; his brother Randy and five grandchildren. 6. Once more details are available, we will update this section.