Rob Murphy
Encyclopedia
Robert A. "Rob" Murphy, Jr. (born May 26, 1960) is a former American professional baseball player who was a relief pitcher
in Major League Baseball
for eleven seasons in the 1980s and 1990s. Murphy played college baseball
for the University of Florida
, and was picked by the Cincinnati Reds
in the first round of the 1981 Major League Baseball Draft
. In addition to the Reds, he played for the Boston Red Sox
, Seattle Mariners
, Houston Astros
, St. Louis Cardinals
, New York Yankees
, Los Angeles Dodgers
and Florida Marlins
.
. He attended Christopher Columbus High School in Miami from 1974 to 1978. He pitched for the varsity baseball team in 1977 and 1978. The 1977 team won the District championship with his 4-hit shutout. He garnered many awards including: Pre-season 1st team All American, 1st team All City, and 1st team All Catholic. After setting school records for most wins (17) and strikeouts (207), he was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers. Murphy's American Legion team, Post 133, won its District Championship in 1976 with Murphy's 11 strikeout performance. Murphy also earned many accolades playing on the football field. For the CCHS Explorers' football team, Murphy was named to the 1976 All Catholic team, and 3rd team All County Team. In 1977, he was first-team All-Catholic, and second-team All-Dade County. By the time Murphy put away his kicking tee, he was Columbus High's All-time leading scorer on the gridiron. Just recently, Murphy was the first baseball player inducted into CCHS Baseball Diamond Hall of Fame, along with Louisiana State baseball coach Paul Mainieri, and former Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry. In 2009, Murphy was inducted into CCHS General Hall of Fame.
to attend the University of Florida
in Gainesville, Florida
, where he played for the Gators and advanced his computer science knowledge. As a freshman, Murphy led the Gators in ERA (2.53). During his sophomore year, Murphy's 3-hit shutout over Tennessee secured the Gators' second consecutive SEC Eastern Division title, while also becoming the first Gator baseball team to win 40 regular season games. His career record was 6-3 while pitching in orange and blue. After his days in Gainesville, Murphy was drafted by Cincinnati Reds in the 1st round, as the third overall draft pick. He was only the 2nd Gator ever selected in the 1st round of the Major League draft.
in 50.1 innings. In 1987, he followed with another superb year as the busiest left-handed reliever in major league history. His 87 relief appearances were the most ever by a lefty, as he pitched 100.2 innings and struck out
99 batters. Used as a setup man for closer
John Franco, Murphy collected seven saves for Cincinnati during four seasons. After he led the National League
with 76 games pitched
in 1988, he was traded to the Boston Red Sox.
In Boston in 1989, Murphy collected career-highs with nine saves and 105.0 innings pitched
behind closer Lee Smith
in the Boston bullpen
. He was named the Red Sox Fireman of the Year(best reliever) by the Boston area Baseball Writers.
In an eleven-season career, Murphy, a valuable set-up man and left-handed specialist, compiled a 32–38 record with thirty saves and a 3.64 ERA
in 597 games. At his retirement, he ranked eighteenth all time for left-handed relief appearances. By the end of his Major League career, Murphy had pitched longer in the Major Leagues than any pitcher in Gator history.
Cincinnati Reds Minor League System 1981 - 1985
1981 - Collected 6 wins for the Florida State League Northern Division champions, Tampa Tarpons.
1983 - Led Cedar Rapids Reds in strikeouts on the way to being Central Division champs.
1984 - Led the Eastern League in saves and captured the win in the championship game for the Eastern League title. Murphy was named Vermont Reds' Fireman of the Year.
1985 - Led the Denver Zephyrs in ERA on their way to the Western Division title of the American Association.
Cincinnati Reds 1985-1988
1986 – 6-0 record - 0.72 ERA lowest ERA in National League history, 2nd lowest in MLB history with min. 50 innings pitched.
1987 – 87 appearances sets MLB mark for relief appearances by left-handed pitcher.
1988 – Led National League with 76 appearances.
Boston Red Sox 1989-1990
1989 – Red Sox Fireman of the Year; 74 appearances sets Red Sox mark for appearances by a left-handed pitcher.
1990 – set MLB record for consecutive errorless games at start of career (332), previous record (175); Red Sox won the Eastern Division of the American League.
Houston Astros 1992
1992 – set MLB mark for consecutive games without a win (146).
Murphy also pitched for the Mariners, Cardinals, Yankees, Dodgers and Marlins, retiring at the end of the 1995
season.
and thoroughbred
enthusiast, Murphy has devised his own method for handicapping
and breeding. Murphy's company, M375 Thoroughbreds, Inc., has bred, raised and raced such successful horses as Platinum Tiara, Swing and Miss, Diamond Studs, Strike Three and Golden Spikes.
Murphy has also been active in charity fund-raising his career. While with the Reds, he participated in several Muscular Dystrophy Association telethons in the Cincinnati area. In Boston, Murphy worked with the Red Sox in-house charities, the Jimmy Fund and the 65 Roses Foundation. He also participated in events benefiting the ALS Association. Back at home in Florida, Murphy has attended many Redbone Organization events to benefit Cystic Fibrosis. Murphy continues to share his experience and expertise with the youth of Martin County by coaching baseball and softball players of all ages.
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
for eleven seasons in the 1980s and 1990s. Murphy played college baseball
College baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. Compared to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a less significant contribution to cultivating professional players, as the minor leagues primarily...
for the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, and was picked by the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
in the first round of the 1981 Major League Baseball Draft
1981 Major League Baseball Draft
-First round selections:The following are the first round picks in the 1981 Major League Baseball draft.- Other notable players :*John Elway was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 2nd round of the 1981 amateur draft...
. In addition to the Reds, he played for the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
, Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
, Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
, St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
, New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
, Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
and Florida Marlins
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...
.
Early years
Murphy was born in Miami, FloridaMiami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
. He attended Christopher Columbus High School in Miami from 1974 to 1978. He pitched for the varsity baseball team in 1977 and 1978. The 1977 team won the District championship with his 4-hit shutout. He garnered many awards including: Pre-season 1st team All American, 1st team All City, and 1st team All Catholic. After setting school records for most wins (17) and strikeouts (207), he was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers. Murphy's American Legion team, Post 133, won its District Championship in 1976 with Murphy's 11 strikeout performance. Murphy also earned many accolades playing on the football field. For the CCHS Explorers' football team, Murphy was named to the 1976 All Catholic team, and 3rd team All County Team. In 1977, he was first-team All-Catholic, and second-team All-Dade County. By the time Murphy put away his kicking tee, he was Columbus High's All-time leading scorer on the gridiron. Just recently, Murphy was the first baseball player inducted into CCHS Baseball Diamond Hall of Fame, along with Louisiana State baseball coach Paul Mainieri, and former Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry. In 2009, Murphy was inducted into CCHS General Hall of Fame.
College career
Instead of pursuing a professional baseball, Murphy accepted an athletic scholarshipAthletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
to attend the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, where he played for the Gators and advanced his computer science knowledge. As a freshman, Murphy led the Gators in ERA (2.53). During his sophomore year, Murphy's 3-hit shutout over Tennessee secured the Gators' second consecutive SEC Eastern Division title, while also becoming the first Gator baseball team to win 40 regular season games. His career record was 6-3 while pitching in orange and blue. After his days in Gainesville, Murphy was drafted by Cincinnati Reds in the 1st round, as the third overall draft pick. He was only the 2nd Gator ever selected in the 1st round of the Major League draft.
Professional career
A hard fastball thrower, Murphy posted a minuscule 0.72 ERA in 34 relief appearances in 1986. He had a 6-0 record allowing only 26 hitsHit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
in 50.1 innings. In 1987, he followed with another superb year as the busiest left-handed reliever in major league history. His 87 relief appearances were the most ever by a lefty, as he pitched 100.2 innings and struck out
Strike Out
Strike Out, , North American Harness racing championStrike Out was born in 1969 at Castleton Farm in Lexington, Kentucky, and is by Bret Hanover out of the mare Golden Miss....
99 batters. Used as a setup man for closer
Closer (baseball)
In baseball, a closing pitcher, more frequently referred to as a closer , is a relief pitcher who specializes in closing out games, i.e., getting the final outs in a close game. Closers often appear when the score is close, and the role is often assigned to a team's best reliever. A small number of...
John Franco, Murphy collected seven saves for Cincinnati during four seasons. After he led the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
with 76 games pitched
Games pitched
In baseball statistics, games pitched is the number of games in which a player appears as a pitcher; a player who is announced as the pitcher must face at least one batter, although exceptions are made if the pitcher announced in the starting lineup is injured before facing a batter, perhaps while...
in 1988, he was traded to the Boston Red Sox.
In Boston in 1989, Murphy collected career-highs with nine saves and 105.0 innings pitched
Innings pitched
In baseball, innings pitched are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two...
behind closer Lee Smith
Lee Smith (baseball)
Lee Arthur Smith is an American right-handed former baseball pitcher who played 18 years in Major League Baseball for eight teams. Pitching primarily for the Chicago Cubs, with whom he spent his first eight seasons, Lee served mostly as a relief pitcher during his career...
in the Boston bullpen
Bullpen
In baseball, the bullpen is the area where relief pitchers warm-up before entering a game. Depending on the ballpark, it may be situated in foul territory along the baselines or just beyond the outfield fence. Also, a team's roster of relief pitchers is metonymically referred to as "the bullpen"...
. He was named the Red Sox Fireman of the Year(best reliever) by the Boston area Baseball Writers.
In an eleven-season career, Murphy, a valuable set-up man and left-handed specialist, compiled a 32–38 record with thirty saves and a 3.64 ERA
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
in 597 games. At his retirement, he ranked eighteenth all time for left-handed relief appearances. By the end of his Major League career, Murphy had pitched longer in the Major Leagues than any pitcher in Gator history.
Cincinnati Reds Minor League System 1981 - 1985
1981 - Collected 6 wins for the Florida State League Northern Division champions, Tampa Tarpons.
1983 - Led Cedar Rapids Reds in strikeouts on the way to being Central Division champs.
1984 - Led the Eastern League in saves and captured the win in the championship game for the Eastern League title. Murphy was named Vermont Reds' Fireman of the Year.
1985 - Led the Denver Zephyrs in ERA on their way to the Western Division title of the American Association.
Cincinnati Reds 1985-1988
1986 – 6-0 record - 0.72 ERA lowest ERA in National League history, 2nd lowest in MLB history with min. 50 innings pitched.
1987 – 87 appearances sets MLB mark for relief appearances by left-handed pitcher.
1988 – Led National League with 76 appearances.
Boston Red Sox 1989-1990
1989 – Red Sox Fireman of the Year; 74 appearances sets Red Sox mark for appearances by a left-handed pitcher.
1990 – set MLB record for consecutive errorless games at start of career (332), previous record (175); Red Sox won the Eastern Division of the American League.
Houston Astros 1992
1992 – set MLB mark for consecutive games without a win (146).
Murphy also pitched for the Mariners, Cardinals, Yankees, Dodgers and Marlins, retiring at the end of the 1995
1995 in baseball
-Major League Baseball:*World Series: Atlanta Braves over Cleveland Indians ; Tom Glavine, MVP*All-Star Game, July 11 at The Ballpark in Arlington: National League, 3-2; Jeff Conine, MVP-Other champions:...
season.
Life after baseball
A horse racingHorse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
and thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
enthusiast, Murphy has devised his own method for handicapping
Handicapping
Handicapping, in sport and games, is the practice of assigning advantage through scoring compensation or other advantage given to different contestants to equalize the chances of winning. The word also applies to the various methods by which the advantage is calculated...
and breeding. Murphy's company, M375 Thoroughbreds, Inc., has bred, raised and raced such successful horses as Platinum Tiara, Swing and Miss, Diamond Studs, Strike Three and Golden Spikes.
Murphy has also been active in charity fund-raising his career. While with the Reds, he participated in several Muscular Dystrophy Association telethons in the Cincinnati area. In Boston, Murphy worked with the Red Sox in-house charities, the Jimmy Fund and the 65 Roses Foundation. He also participated in events benefiting the ALS Association. Back at home in Florida, Murphy has attended many Redbone Organization events to benefit Cystic Fibrosis. Murphy continues to share his experience and expertise with the youth of Martin County by coaching baseball and softball players of all ages.
Facts
- UF pitchers ranked by most games
- All-time relief appearances by LHP through 1995
- MLB single season ERA
- NL single season ERA
- NL Inherited runners scored
- By the time the veteran hurler hung up his spikes, his mother had named eight of her horses after the franchises Murphy played for: Cincy Dancer, King of Beantown, Mariner Hawk, Houston Honey, Calling Card, Ninedaznpinstripes, Djones (after Dale Jones, a Dodgers scout), and Molly Kelly (after sweet Molly Malone, who sold cockles, mussels, but no Marlins). - Shepard C. Long/James G. Robinson, at Baseball Library http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/M/Murphy_Rob.stm.
See also
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- List of Florida Gators baseball players