William Jeremiah Murray (April 13, 1864 — March 25, 1937) was one of the most successful

managers Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

in American minor league baseball during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He also spent three seasons (1907–09) in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

as manager of the

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of the

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Biography

A native of

Peabody, Massachusetts Peabody () is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 54,481 at the time of the 2020 United States Census. Peabody is located in the North Shore region of Massachusetts, and is known for its rich industrial histo ...

, Murray began his minor league managing career at age 25 with the

Quincy, Illinois Quincy ( ), known as Illinois's "Gem City", is a city in and the county seat of Adams County, Illinois, United States, located on the Mississippi River. The 2020 census counted a population of 39,463 in the city itself, down from 40,633 in 2010. ...

, ''Ravens'' of the Central Interstate League in 1889. After winning back-to-back pennants at Quincy and Joliet of the

Illinois–Iowa League The Illinois–Iowa League was a Minor league baseball league which operated in Illinois, Iowa and Indiana from 1890 to 1892. History The Illinois–Iowa League began play in 1890 and was nicknamed as the "Two I League". The Aurora Hoodoos, Ce ...

in 1891–92, Murray spent nine seasons (1894–1902) as skipper of the

Providence Grays The Providence Grays were a Major League Baseball team based in Providence, Rhode Island who played in the National League from until . The Grays played at the Messer Street Grounds in the Olneyville neighborhood. The team won the National Leagu ...

of the top-level Eastern League (a forerunner of today's

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

). He then spent four winning seasons as manager of the

Jersey City Skeeters The Jersey City Skeeters were a minor league baseball team which operated in Jersey City, New Jersey. The club started in the 1860s and by 1870 joined the National Association of Base Ball Players. By 1885, Jersey City had joined the Eastern Le ...

of the Eastern circuit, taking one league pennant. His record as a minor league manager was 1,234 victories and 876 defeats over 18 seasons, a

winning percentage In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

of .585, one of the highest among longtime minor league managers. Murray then took the helm of the Phillies in 1907, inheriting a fourth-place team that had won only 71 games during . Murray promptly led the Phils to 83 victories and a third-place finish in 1907, but his club finished games in arrears of the league champion

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

. His club also won 83 games, but fell to fourth, 16 games behind Chicago. When the 1909 Phillies tumbled even further, to 74 wins and a fifth-place finish, games behind the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

, Murray was replaced as manager by

Red Dooin Charles Sebastian "Red" Dooin (June 12, 1879 – May 12, 1952) was an American professional baseball player and manager. A catcher in Major League Baseball during the first two decades of the 20th century, he played 1,219 of his 1,290 games as a ...

. His career record as a major-league manager was 240–214 (.529). He died in

Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County, Ohio, Mahoning County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of ...

, at the age of 72.

References

*Bucek, Jeanine, ed. dir., ''The Baseball Encyclopedia.'' New York: Macmillan Books, 1996. *Johnson, Lloyd, ed., ''The Minor League Register.'' Durham, North Carolina:

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...

, 1994.

External links

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managing recordWilliams, Phil, ''Billy Murray.''

Society for American Baseball Research The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is a membership organization dedicated to fostering the research and dissemination of the history and record of baseball primarily through the use of statistics. Established in Cooperstown, New ...

Biography Project {{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, Billy 1864 births 1937 deaths Atlanta Firecrackers players Atlanta Windjammers players Aurora Indians players Baseball players from Massachusetts Boston Red Sox scouts Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Joliet Convicts players Lynn Lions players Minor league baseball managers People from Peabody, Massachusetts Philadelphia Phillies managers Pittsburgh Pirates scouts Portsmouth Lillies players Providence Clamdiggers (baseball) players Providence Grays (minor league) players Quincy Black Birds players Quincy Ravens players Salem (minor league baseball) players Sportspeople from Essex County, Massachusetts