Bobby Murcer hit .304 with 22 home runs and 95 RBI in 1973 -- the best season of his career and the kind of performance that should've meant something in October. It didn't. The New York Yankees collapsed from a four-game lead on July 1 to an 80-82 finish, and Murcer's All-Star numbers became the brightest line in a box score nobody wanted to read. One man doing everything right on a team that couldn't hold together around him.
That was Murcer's whole story in pinstripes. Too good for the teams he played on. Not enough to save them.
The Oklahoma Kid
Murcer came from Oklahoma -- same state that produced Mickey Mantle -- and he carried that comparison like a piano strapped to his back from the moment he arrived. When Mantle retired after the 1968 season, the franchise needed someone to fill center field, fill the lineup, fill the void. Murcer was 22 years old, and the organization handed him all of it. (No pressure, kid. You're just replacing the most beloved Yankee since DiMaggio.)
He handled it better than anyone had a right to expect. By 1973, Murcer was the highest-paid player on the roster -- $100,000 base salary, second-highest in Yankees history behind Mantle's peak. He'd earned it, putting together consistent 20-homer seasons and becoming the franchise's lone star during the darkest stretch in its history.
The Season by the Numbers
Murcer's 1973 numbers told a story of sustained excellence. The .304 average led the team. His 22 home runs tied Graig Nettles for the club lead. The 95 RBI anchored a lineup that could score runs but couldn't get pitching to match. He earned All-Star honors and a spot on the Sporting News All-Star team -- the kind of recognition that confirmed what Yankees fans already knew.
This was the best player on the team, and it wasn't close.
| Batting Average | .304 |
| Home Runs | 22 (tied team lead w/ Nettles) |
| RBI | 95 |
| Honors | All-Star, Sporting News All-Star |
| Salary | $100,000 (highest on team) |
| Team Record | 80-82 (4th, AL East) |
"I Hit a Hanging Spitter"
The signature moment of Murcer's 1973 season happened on June 30 against the Cleveland Indians. Gaylord Perry was the best pitcher in the American League and the worst-kept secret in baseball -- everybody knew he threw a spitball, and nobody with authority did anything about it. Murcer went public with his frustration, calling out umpires for letting Perry get away with it. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn fined him $250 for the trouble.
That same night, Murcer faced Perry and hit a two-run homer to lead the Yanks to a 7-2 win. His postgame quote to reporters was perfect: "I hit a hanging spitter." Four words. No apology. No hedging. Just Murcer backing up his mouth with his bat and daring anyone to fine him for that too.
Three Bombs in KC
Two weeks later, on July 13, Murcer hit three home runs against the Kansas City Royals -- the second three-homer game of his career. At that point he sat tied for third in the AL with 19 home runs, right in the thick of the power race. The team was still in first place. Everything felt possible.
It wasn't. The second half destroyed whatever the first half built. Murcer kept hitting, but the pitching staff crumbled around him, and 35 wins in the final 84 games buried the season.
The Bridge Between Eras
Murcer's tragedy -- if a guy making $100,000 to play baseball in the 1970s can have a tragedy -- was timing. He peaked during the franchise's lowest point, sandwiched between the Mantle dynasty and the Steinbrenner dynasty. The Yankees traded him to San Francisco after the season, and it devastated the fan base. The best player they'd had in years, shipped across the country.
(Steinbrenner traded everybody who wasn't nailed down those first few years. That was the point.)
Murcer returned to the Bronx later -- a part-time player during the championship years in 1977 and 1978, then a beloved broadcaster who spent decades in the TV booth telling Yankees fans what they were watching. He understood the franchise the way only a lifer could. When Thurman Munson died in a plane crash in 1979, Murcer delivered a eulogy and then went out that night and drove in all five runs in a win over Baltimore. The man showed up when it counted.
He always did. Even in 1973, when nobody else on the roster could keep up.
The Spitball Game
Fined $250 for criticizing umpires' tolerance of Gaylord Perry, Murcer hits a two-run homer off Perry in a 7-2 win. "I hit a hanging spitter."
Four Games Up
The Yankees hold a four-game lead in the AL East. Murcer is tied for third in the league with 19 home runs. The collapse hasn't started yet.
Three-Homer Game
Murcer hits three home runs against Kansas City -- the second three-homer game of his career.
Last Game at the Old Stadium
Murcer plays his final game at the original Yankee Stadium in an 8-5 loss to Detroit. He's traded to San Francisco after the season.
Frequently Asked Questions
What were Bobby Murcer's stats in 1973?
Murcer hit .304 with 22 home runs and 95 RBI, earning All-Star honors and a spot on the Sporting News All-Star team. His 22 home runs tied Graig Nettles for the team lead.
What happened in Bobby Murcer's game against Gaylord Perry?
On June 30, 1973, Murcer -- who'd been fined $250 for publicly criticizing umpires' failure to enforce rules against Perry's spitball -- hit a two-run homer off Perry in a 7-2 Yankees win. His postgame quote: "I hit a hanging spitter."
Why were the Yankees so bad during Murcer's peak years?
CBS owned the franchise from 1964 to 1973 and ran it with corporate indifference. The farm system thinned, the roster aged, and the front office didn't invest aggressively enough to compete. Murcer was the lone star on teams that lacked pitching depth and overall talent.
Was Bobby Murcer traded after the 1973 season?
Yes. The Yankees traded Murcer to the San Francisco Giants after the 1973 season. He later returned to the Bronx as a part-time player in the late 1970s and eventually became a beloved Yankees broadcaster.
Murcer hit .304 on a team that finished under .500. He hit three homers in a game nobody remembers. He fined himself into a confrontation with the best cheater in baseball and won. And then they traded him. That's the 1973 Yankees in a single career -- one great player, not enough around him, and a franchise about to become something completely different.