Donation will connect Murcer family for generations
On June 4, 1981, Bobby Murcer recorded his 1,000th RBI while playing for the New York Yankees. After he got to first base, he quickly waved to the crowd and watched as the video board at Yankee Stadium congratulated him.
The Yankees hero and soon-to-be broadcaster had joined a group of fewer than 300 players to reach the feat. Last year, the Murcer family donated that 1,000th RBI ball to the National Baseball Hall of Fame to be preserved forever.
Murcer, who passed away on July 12, 2008, was near the end of his 17-year major league career when he reached the milestone. But he instilled a love for baseball in his family from the start, and in particular with his son, Todd, who in turn passed on that love to his kids.
Todd, along with his wife and kids, made their first trip to see that ball on June 29, 2017.
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“To be here with my family and my mom is extremely special,” Todd said. “More than anything, my boys are so into baseball, and they’re at the age where they know a lot about the game, so for my first visit to be with them is really neat.”
Bobby’s widow, Kay, also made the journey, although she had been to the Hall before with her late husband.
“The first time Bobby and I both came, we brought my parents with us and Todd’s sister,” Kay said. “It was about 19 years ago. But now to have experienced baseball through my grandkids, it’s even more special seeing everything here knowing the kids also take interest in it.”
Todd and Kay made the choice to donate the ball after Bobby passed away and Kay decided to move. Bobby’s office was full of memorabilia from his playing days, and the two were amazed at what he had amassed. However, two of Bobby’s most prized possessions in his collection were his 200th home run ball and the 1,000th RBI ball.
“People just really didn’t pay attention to things like this as far as keeping stuff that was attached to records,” Kay said. “We definitely weren’t tuned into that, but then you come here and wonder about all the stuff that was missed.”
When the Murcer family toured the Hall, they recounted memories of Bobby’s playing and announcing days but also watched Todd’s children become infatuated with what’s on display.
“I know he would have loved to have come back to the Hall with his grandkids to tell them stories and show them things,” Kay said. “He would have loved being a part of that. Even to have this ball in this building – Bobby would just be honored.”
The ball is one of over 40,000 three-dimensional artifacts that the Hall of Fame has in its collection and is will forever connect generations of the Murcer family to come.
“The kids can always know for the rest of their lives,” said Todd, whose father spent 17 years in the big leagues and another 24 as a broadcaster for the Yankees, “that when they come back to Cooperstown, there’s something here that belonged to their grandfather. That’s the really cool thing about this.”
Cady Lowery is the 2017 public relations intern in the Frank and Peggy Steele Internship Program at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
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