Introduction
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."