"Murcer has been a big disappointment since his return. He was not happy with his role early in the 1980 season, and said so.
'He bitched,' admits Gene Michael, 'but at least when he got his chance, he did something about it.' Murcer usually plays only against right-handed pitchers. He wants to be there every day.
Born in Oklahoma City, Bobby had some great years as a Yankee before he was traded away. He was discovered by Tom Greenwade, the same scout who signed Mickey Mantle. Bobby never became the full-fledged superstar he was at first billed to be."
-Jim Hawkins, The Complete Handbook of Baseball, 1981 Edition
"There's still a lot of spunk left in Bobby Murcer's bat. He retains that familiar swing driving, balls down the right field line with the consistency of a pro golfer slicing the ball down the middle of the fairway. Hustling into second base standing up, fan favorite Bobby Murcer grins his noted boyish grin and has succeeded once again in getting a rise out of a packed crowd in the House that Ruth built.
It's been a long time since Bobby initially aroused the crowds at Yankee Stadium, but he's still doing it as one of the top run producers on the club today. He's one of those guys who come late into a game, pull out his favorite piece of lumber and rally home the key run.
Bobby's familiarity with the Stadium outfield is a most important asset when he's called for duty. And he has that added experience which helps the younger players. His dry Oklahoma humor keeps everyone in line and just loose enough to know when it's time to cut the mustard.
Last year was the first chance Bobby Murcer had to take the field for postseason play. This year, he'd like to take it one step further and take the field for a World Series. Yankee fans would like nothing more."
-The New York Yankees Official 1981 Yearbook
"Murcer finally made it into postseason competition after 17 years of professional baseball. He was one of the top run producers on the club in 1980, finishing tied for third with 10 game-winning RBIs and fourth with 57 RBIs, and one of the top clutch hitters, batting .317 with men in scoring position and .318 as a pinch hitter.
He had a five-RBI game on June 28, hitting two home runs off Wayne Garland, and had three game-winning RBIs in a stretch of five games in early June. He was batting as high as .290 on September 8. Bobby played left field and right field, as well as serving as a designated hitter.
A 17-year pro (including two years in the military), with 12 and a half seasons in the Yankee organization, Murcer returned to the Yankees in 1979 after four and a half years in the National League. He broke in at Johnson City in 1964 as a shortstop and was named the Appalachian League's All-Star shortstop. Bobby first came up to the major leagues in 1965 when he joined the Yankees late in the season in only his second year of pro ball. After a stint in the Army, he rejoined the Yankees in 1969 and was eventually shifted to center field.
Bobby tied for the American League lead in assists by an outfielder with 15 in 1970. He batted a career high .331 in 1971 (second in the AL) and was also second in slugging at .543. In 1972 he led the AL in runs scored with 102 and in total bases with 314; defensively he led the league in putouts (382) and total chances (396) and won the Gold Glove award. Bobby was fourth in the AL batting race in 1973 with a .304 average and tied for the league lead in assists by an outfielder (14).
He was named to the Sporting News AL All-Star team in 1971-72-73 and was on the American League All-Star team in 1971-72-73-74. He was named to the NL team in 1975 with the Giants.
Bobby hit four consecutive homers in a doubleheader against Cleveland on June 24, 1970. His three in the first game and one in the second game tied the major league record for most homers in consecutive at-bats, and the American League record for most homers in a doubleheader. He also hit three home runs in one game against Kansas City on July 13, 1973 and Bobby was the last Yankee to hit for the cycle, doing it against Texas on August 29, 1972.
He was traded to the Giants on October 22, 1974 for Bobby Bonds. He spent two years with San Francisco before being sent to the Cubs in February 1977 with Steve Ontiveros and Andy Muhlstock in exchange for Bill Madlock and Rob Sperring. In 1977 as a Cub, Bobby stole a career high 16 bases and led the club in homers (27), RBIs (89) and total bases (252), and tied for the club lead with nine game-winning RBIs. He led the 1978 Cubs in batting.
Bobby 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-state in baseball and batted .458 with just one strikeout in his senior year. Bobby attended the University of Oklahoma as a business major. He enjoys hunting and fishing.
Murcer was signed to his original Yankee contract by Tom Greenwade, the same scout who signed his favorite player, Mickey Mantle."
-New York Yankees 1981 Media Guide
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