John Joseph "Red" Murray (March 4, 1884 – December 4, 1958) was an American

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

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), ...

Career

Murray was born in

Arnot, Pennsylvania Arnot is a census-designated place located in Bloss Township, Tioga County in the state of Pennsylvania, United States. It is located off US Route 15 near the borough of Blossburg Blossburg is a borough in Tioga County, Pennsylvania, United St ...

. In 1902, he attended Lock Haven College, where he played football, basketball, and baseball. In 1904, Murray changed schools to the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

, playing as a

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

for the Fighting Irish. In 1906, he was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals, and the next year he played at

right field A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the ...

and hit seven

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s. During the season, Murray hit a home run. In 1908, he played in all 154 games and finished second in the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...

s (48), and third both in

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...

(167) and home runs (7). Murray was traded to the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

and helped win

John McGraw John Joseph McGraw (April 7, 1873 – February 25, 1934) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) player and manager who was for almost thirty years manager of the New York Giants. He was also the third baseman of the pennant-winning 1890 ...

three consecutive pennants. From 1909 to 1912, he ranked third in the league in

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

, trailing only Honus Wagner and

Sherry Magee Sherwood Robert "Sherry" Magee (August 6, 1884 – March 13, 1929) was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball. From 1904 through 1919, Magee played with the Philadelphia Phillies (1904–1914), Boston Braves (1915–1917) and Cincin ...

. Murray and Wagner tied for the most home runs in the majors from 1907 through 1909 (21).Red Murray
Article by Cappy Gagnon. ''SABR Biography Project''. Retrieved on October 13, 2018. According to popular myth, Murray is remembered for being struck by lightning in a 1914 game. Murray, playing in the outfield for the New York Giants, caught a fly ball which would prove to be the final out of a 21 inning game on July 17, 1914. Immediately after catching the ball Murray was struck by lightning and rendered unconscious, however, he managed to hold on to the ball, ending the game. According to the baseball almanac, Murray was not playing an outfield position during that game. This myth may have been an exaggeration of a prior incident. "According to multiple accounts, Murray preserved a 2-2 tie for the Giants during a torrential downpour on August 16, 1909. With two on and two out in the eighth and mound master Christy Mathewson on the hill, Pirates second baseman Dots Miller sent a hard smash into the angry skies. Murray sprinted after the ball and made a spectacular bare-handed grab as a bolt of lightning illuminated the field - rendering the catch all the more dramatic to witness." Murray last played in the majors in 1917. J.C. Kofoed, in the April 1924 issue of ''

Baseball Magazine ''Baseball Magazine'' is a now-defunct baseball magazine, the first monthly baseball magazine published in the United States. The magazine was founded by Boston sportswriter Jake Morse prior to the 1908 season. It continued publishing until Sep ...

'' 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."

Murray died on December 4, 1958 of acute leukemia at the age of 74 in a hospital near Sayre, Pennsylvania.Obituary
''The Deadball Era''. Retrieved on October 13, 2018. His obituary ranked him "with Mel Ott as one of the two greatest right fielders in New York Giant history."

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External links

, o

{{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, Red 1884 births 1958 deaths Baseball players from Pennsylvania Chicago Cubs players Deaths from cancer in Pennsylvania Deaths from leukemia Hutchinson Salt Packers players Lock Haven Bald Eagles baseball players Major League Baseball right fielders National League home run champions New York Giants (NL) players Notre Dame Fighting Irish baseball players People from Sayre, Pennsylvania People from Tioga County, Pennsylvania St. Joseph Packers players St. Louis Cardinals players Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players Addison White Sox players

Career

See also

References

Further reading

External links