Red Murray

Red Murray
Outfielder
Born: (1884-03-04)March 4, 1884
Arnot, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died: December 4, 1958(1958-12-04) (aged 74)
Sayre, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
June 16, 1906, for the St. Louis Cardinals
Last MLB appearance
October 3, 1916, for the New York Giants
MLB statistics
Batting average .270
Home runs 37
Runs batted in 579
Stolen bases 321
Teams
Career highlights and awards

John Joseph "Red" Murray (March 4, 1884 – December 4, 1958) was a professional baseball player.

Career

Murray was born in Arnot, Pennsylvania. In 1902, he attended Lock Haven College (LHU), where he played football, basketball, and baseball. In 1904, Murray changed schools to the University of Notre Dame, playing as a catcher for the Fighting Irish. In 1906, he was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals, and the next year he played at right field the outfield and hit seven home runs. During the season, Murray hit a 471-foot (144 m) home run. In 1908, he played in all 154 games and finished second in the National League in stolen bases (48), and third both in hits (167) and home runs (7).

Murray was traded to the New York Giants and helped win John McGraw three consecutive pennants. From 1909 to 1912, he ranked third in the league in total runs batted in, trailing only Honus Wagner and Sherry Magee. Besides, Murray and Wagner tied for the most home runs in the majors from 1907 through 1909 (21).[1]

In addition, Murray led all Major League outfielders in assists in 1909 and 1910, becoming the only outfielder in the modern era to accumulate more than 100 assists during the period 1907–1910, and also one of only three players in the modern era to finish twice among the top five in home runs and stolen bases during the same season (1908–1909), joining Wagner (1907–1908) and Ty Cobb (1909–1910).[1]

Death

Murray died on December 4, 1958 of acute leukemia at the age of 74 in a hospital near to Sayre, Pennsylvania.[2]

Posthumous

His obituary ranked him "with Mel Ott as one of the two greatest right fielders in New York Giant history."

J.C. Kofoed, in the April 1924 issue of Baseball Magazine wrote:

"Red Murray was for years noted as one of the greatest outfielders in the National League. His throwing arm was the best ever, his ground covering ability and sureness of eye were classic. Furthermore, he was remarkably fast as a base runner, and noted as a batter as well. In his seven seasons as a regular, Murray led NL outfielders in home runs, runs batted in, stolen bases, and assists a total of 16 times. Despite his impressive statistics in power hitting, baserunning, and fielding, he remains one of the least-recognized stars of the Deadball Era."

See also

Sources

  1. 1 2 Red Murray. Article by Cappy Gagnon. SABR Biography Project. Retrieved on October 13, 2018.
  2. ↑ Obituary. The Deadball Era. Retrieved on October 13, 2018.
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