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Ray Murray
Raymond Lee Murray
Nickname: Deacon
Born: October 12, 1917 in Spring Hope, N.C.
Died: April 9, 2003
Debut: 1948 | Pos: C
Ht: 6'3" | Wt: 204 | B: R | T: R
| Yrs | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | SB | BA |
| 6 | 250 | 731 | 69 | 184 | 8 | 80 | 1 | .252 |
>> Visit the Ray Murray biography on Baseball Almanac for complete statistics.
Ray "Deacon" Murray, a catcher who debuted with the Indians in 1948, died on April 9, 2003, at the age of 86.
Murray's career began with a brief appearance in 1948 followed by military service in World War II. His best season came in 1953 when he hit .284 with 6 home runs and 41 RBIs.
In 1951, Murray was part of a 3-team, 7-player deal that included Murray going to the Athletics, the Indians getting Lou Brissie and the White Sox acquiring Minnie Minoso.
In 1954, the Athletics sold Murray's contract to Baltimore for $25,000 and he ended his career with the Orioles that season.
According to his obituary, Murray received the nickname "Deacon" for preaching on team bus trips while he was in the minor leagues.
A story attributed to the Deacon, says that Murray had a series of run-ins with umpire Ed Hurley. After one of the calls, Murray removed his mask and chest protector and spread them over home plate. From the there, the story says he got down on his knees and prayed, "Lord, help this poor SOB. I got two good eyes. Give him of mine."
After baseball, he worked as a deputy sheriff for 16 years before retiring.
Sources: Total Baseball, Ray Murray Obituary, CBS sportsline