"Murcer returned to the Yankees in mid-season, acquired from the Cubs for a pitching prospect and cash. He's still very popular with Yankee fans who remember his outstanding years in New York.
'These fans are the greatest. They gave me renewed life when I came back after four-and-a-half years.' When he left the Yankees in the Bobby Bonds deal in 1974, George Steinbrenner vowed he would bring him back someday.
Born in Oklahoma City, Bobby delivered a moving eulogy at Thurman Munson's funeral- then delivered the game-winning hit on national television in the game that night.
He's 19th on the all-time Yankee home run list."
-Jim Hawkins, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1980 Edition
"It was a homecoming for Bobby, returning to the Yankees in 1979. He started off slowly with the Yanks then finished strong to raise his American League average to .273. He had his most memorable game on August 6 against the Orioles. Hours earlier the Yankees had returned from the funeral of Thurman Munson, at which Bobby had given one of the eulogies. It was a nationally televised game and Bobby, dedicating the game to Thurman, rose to the occasion. His two-run single in the bottom of the ninth brought the Yanks back from behind to a 5-4 win over the Birds. His three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh had brought the Yanks to within a run at 4-3 before his ninth-inning heroics.
That game started Bobby on a streak that saw him go 11-for-27 (.407) with three homers and 10 RBIs over his next six games. He had a 10-game hitting streak from August 31-September 8 and finished the season with a five-game hit streak (9-for-20, .450) to raise his final average from .258 to .273. He was 6-for-9 with two homers and six RBIs in his final two games. Bobby had two 2-homer games, and in addition to his five-RBI game against the Orioles, had a four-RBI game against Toronto on September 30.
Murcer broke in with Johnson City in 1964 as a shortstop and was named the Appalachian League's All-Star shortstop that year. He first came up to the major leagues in 1965, when he joined the Yankees late in the season, in just his second year in pro ball. After a stint in the Army (1967-68), Bobby rejoined the Yankees in 1969 and was later shifted to center field. He tied for the AL lead in assists by an outfielder with 15 in 1970.
Bobby batted a career high .331 in 1971 (second in the AL) and he was also second in slugging at .543. In 1972, Bobby led the AL in runs scored with 102 and total bases with 314; defensively, he led the league in putouts (382) and total chances (396), and won the Gold Glove award. He was fourth in the AL batting race in 1973 with a .304 average, and he tied for the league lead in assists (14) by an outfielder. Bobby was named to the Sporting News American League All-Star team in 1971, 1972 and 1973, and was on the American League All-Star team in 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1974.
He hit four consecutive home runs in a doubleheader against Cleveland on June 24, 1970; his three in the first game, and one in the second, tied the major league record for most home runs in consecutive at-bats, as well as the American League record for most home runs in a doubleheader. Bobby also hit three home runs in one game against Kansas City on July 13, 1973, and was the last Yankee to hit for the cycle, doing it against Texas on August 29, 1972.
Bobby was traded to the Giants on October 22, 1974 for Bobby Bonds. He was named to the National League All-Star team in 1975. He spent two years with San Francisco before being sent to the Cubs on February 11, 1977, with Steve Ontiveros and Andy Muhlstock, in exchange for Bill Madlock and Rob Sperring.
In 1977 as a Cub, he appeared in 154 games and stole a career high 16 bases. He led the Cubs in RBIs (89), total bases (252), homers (27) and tied for the lead in game-winning RBIs with nine. In '78 he led the Cubs in batting (281). In 1976, while with the Giants, Bobby hit a home run off Montreal's Dale Murray on August 20; it was the first home run off Murray in 247.1 innings, a modern major league record.
Murcer was a three-sport standout in high school, playing baseball, football and basketball at Southeast High in Oklahoma City. He was all-state in football, all-city in basketball, and all-city and all-state in baseball, batting .458 with just one strikeout in his senior year. Bobby attended the University of Oklahoma as a Business major. He enjoys hunting and fishing.
Bobby was signed to his original Yankee contract by Tom Greenwade, the same scout who signed his favorite player, Mickey Mantle."
-New York Yankees 1980 Media Guide
"The boyish look is a bit older, but the persistent smile and down-home Oklahoma charm can still light up the darkened corners of our memories. After four-and-a-half years in the National League, Bobby Ray Murcer finally came home. He was traded to the West Coast and the Giants following the 1974 season and two years later he began his return trek eastward when he was sent to the Chicago Cubs. And last June 26, the round trip ticket was finally put to use when one of the all-time Yankee favorite sons returned.
It was a season of mixed emotions for Bobby: unhappy in Chicago, he was overjoyed with his return to the Yankees. But he suffered a great personal loss when his dear friend and brother-in-baseball, Thurman Munson, died in a plane crash. On August 6, Bobby delivered one of the eulogies at Munson's funeral and returned later that day to display one of the most emotionally charged performances in baseball history. Bobby drove in all five Yankee runs in a nationally televised 5-4 victory over the Orioles, including the last two runs in the bottom of the ninth.
It's been said that you can never go home again. But by his performance and the warm greeting of the New York fans, Bobby Murcer proved the critics wrong. Welcome home, Bobby!"
-The New York Yankees Official 1980 Yearbook
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