Eddie Murray - Mr. Clutch

For most baseball fans, there is always that one impact player that they remember coming through time and time again when the game was on the line. For me, that player will always be Eddie Murray.

Yesterday, Murray was honored with a statue at Camden Yards. This statue is part of the Orioles' Legends tribute  And Eddie Murray was indeed an Oriole's Legend.

Back in the late 70's/early 80's, I can remember watching Eddie coolly walk up to the plate late in the game. No matter how tense the situation, Murray always seemed to be in total control. I can probably never prove this, but pitchers often seemed to be intimidated when Number 33 was staring at them from 60 feet away. I can remember hearing about a survey back in the early 80's. The question was asked of American League pitchers, "What batter would you least likely want to face with the game on  the game?" The majority answered, "Eddie Murray." No doubt, Murray was the best clutch hitter that I've ever seen.

Murray took some heat from the local press during his days in Baltimore for his reluctance to speak to them. As a result, they were sometimes harsh in their criticism of him. I personally never agreed with the way Murray was treated by the press.

When it came to team players, there were few that compared to Eddie Murray. My understanding is that when he would arrive at the stadium prior to the game, less concerned about his own stats, he would always check out where the Oriole's were in the standings. Murray once said, "If I can help you, it helps us. It's about winning. If you can tell somebody something and it can help the team, that's what you do."

Although Murray was a perennial candidate for the League's MVP Award, surprisingly, he never actually won it. Even with one of his best years with the Oriole's, in 1983, Murray finished second in MVP voting to teammate Cal Ripken Jr. Many feel that Murray should have won the award over Ripken. For me, as an O's fan, the only thing that could have made the 1983 season any better would have been seeing Ripken and Murray named co-MVP's of the American League.

Among his accomplishments, Murray was an eight-time All-Star, won three Gold Gloves, American League Rookie of the Year in 1977, and was one of only four players to ever have over 3000 hits while hitting over 500 home runs.

Eddie Murray was a class act on and off the field. I am so glad that I got to see him play during those days of Oriole's Magic at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium years ago. He spoke softly but carried a big stick. Eddie Murray, truly one of the greatest players ever to grace the field.

kw