July 11, 1977 – Orioles 4, Yankees 3

BALTIMORE – There were teams that Eddie Murray had better numbers against, specifically the Tigers, Twins and Brewers who he regularly wore out during his Hall of Fame career. But because so many of the games Baltimore played against the Yankees were meaningful, it just seemed like Murray always killed New York, and it started right away in his rookie season of 1977.

The Orioles won their third straight over the Yankees, and Murray delivered the game-winning single in the bottom of the ninth off Dick Tidrow. Thus, in the first 12 games he played against the Yankees, Murray was hitting .291 with three home runs, and he’d been credited with the game-winning RBI in five of Baltimore’s seven victories.

Murray was an Oriole for 12 1/2 years, and during that time he played 192 games against the Yankees, second-most only to the 200 times he faced the Tigers. In those 192 games, Murray’s slash line was .270/.342/.444 and he had 40 doubles, 1 triple, 28 homers and 100 RBI.

At the end of 1975, Murray had 17 homers and 68 RBI at Double-A Asheville, yet the former 1973 third-round draft pick really wasn’t looked upon as someone who was going to help Baltimore anytime soon. The club was flush with veterans, and there wasn’t much room for anyone in the minors.

Earl Weaver recalled at the start of 1976, “He wasn’t in our winter book. But the first thing I noticed about him (in spring training) was the sound his bat made. I had to turn around and see who was in the cage.” Murray played that year split between Double-A and Triple-A and he totaled 23 homers and 86 RBI, and Weaver said, “Every team in baseball wanted to talk trade for him during the offseason.”

The Orioles not only didn’t trade him, they protected him in the expansion draft for the Blue Jays and Mariners, and he rewarded their faith by making the big club in 1977. Long-time first baseman Boog Powell was gone, and his replacement, 34-year-old Lee May, was on his last legs.

Murray, who would go on to win American League rookie of the year honors in 1977 as he batted .283 with 27 homers and 88 RBI with an OPS of .803. He played 111 games as the DH as opposed to 42 at first base, but there was no doubt after this season that Murray would be the first baseman of the future as he went on to appear in eight All-Star games, won four gold gloves, was twice the runner-up in AL MVP balloting, and his 504 home runs are second-most in baseball history for a switch hitter behind only Mickey Mantle’s 536.

The Yankees were up 3-1 on the strength of a pair of home runs by Graig Nettles off Mike Flanagan, but the Orioles broke through against Mike Torrez to tie the game in the seventh when Al Bumbry singled, Billy Smith doubled, and they came around to score on a groundout and a single by Murray.

Then in the ninth, Billy Martin left a tiring Torrez in the game, and Bumbry led off with a triple. Sparky Lyle entered, and exited one batter later when Rich Dauer ripped a line drive right back at him. The ball struck Lyle on his pitching hand thumb, then ricocheted to Willie Randolph who made the catch for the out. Tidrow came in and after two intentional walks loaded the bases, Murray slashed a single over Paul Blair’s head in left to win the game.

“As far as I was concerned,” Weaver said, “the whole series was a classic.”

Said the guy who won three of the four games and moved past the Yankees into second place in the AL East, just behind front-running Boston.

The daily baseball report

#EddieMurray #BoogPowell #BillyMartin #EarlWeaver