Red Murray

Red Murray
Outfielder
Born: (1884-03-04)March 4, 1884 Arnot, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died: 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
St. Louis Cardinals (1906–1908) New York Giants (1909–1915) Chicago Cubs (1915) New York Giants (1917)
Career highlights and awards
NL home run leader (1909)

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

Murray was born in Arnot, Pennsylvania. In 1902, Murray attended Lock Haven College (LHU) where he played football, basketball, and baseball. In 1904, Murray changed schools to the University of Notre Dame, playing catcher for the Fighting Irish. In 1906, he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals. The next year, in 1907, he played 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 NL in stolen bases (48), third in hits (167), home runs (7).

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

Death

Murray died on December 4, 1958, aged 74, from undisclosed causes in Sayre, Pennsylvania.

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

• List of Major League Baseball annual home run leaders
• List of Major League Baseball career stolen bases leaders

Sources

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors)