Tom Murphy, baseball player, 1968-1979

Tom Murphy

Born: 12/30/1945 in Cleveland, OH, USA

MLB Debut: 1968-06-13 | Final Game: 1979-05-08

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: Thomas Andrew Murphy

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Biography

Tom Murphy, born in 1945, was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1968 until his retirement on May 8, 1979. Over his eleven seasons in Major League Baseball, Murphy established himself as a durable competitor on the mound, finishing his career with a record of 68 wins and 101 losses. He posted an earned run average (ERA) of 3.78, which showcased his ability to limit runs in an era that was increasingly defined by offensive output. With a total of 621 strikeouts and 59 saves, Murphy demonstrated versatility, contributing both as a starter and a relief pitcher during his tenure. Murphy's playing style reflected the changing landscape of baseball during the late 1960s through the 1970s, marked by a transition toward more specialized roles in pitching. His ability to generate strikeouts and secure saves made him a valuable asset to his teams, and he played a key role in several tight games throughout his career. Though he faced challenges with his win-loss record, Murphy's resilience and skill on the mound left a lasting impact on the clubs he represented and contributed to the rich tapestry of baseball history in that era.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
68 101 439 147 22 3 59 1444.0 1425 606 123 493 621 3.78 0

Career ERA 3.78 vs. league average 3.64 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1968 LAA AL 5 6 15 15 3 0 0 99.3 67 24 28 56 2.17 2.98 (+27%) -
1969 LAA AL 10 16 36 35 4 0 0 215.7 213 101 69 100 4.21 3.61 (-17%) -
1970 LAA AL 16 13 39 38 5 2 0 227.0 223 107 81 99 4.24 3.89 (-9%) -
1971 LAA AL 6 17 37 36 7 0 0 243.3 228 102 82 89 3.77 3.47 (-9%) -
1972 LAA AL 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 10.0 13 6 8 2 5.40 3.26 (-65%) -
1972 KCR AL 4 4 18 9 1 1 1 70.3 77 24 16 34 3.07 3.26 (+6%) -
1973 STL NL 3 7 19 13 2 0 0 88.7 89 37 22 42 3.76 3.75 (avg) -
1974 ATL AL 10 10 70 0 0 0 20 123.0 97 26 51 47 1.90 3.63 (+48%) -
1975 ATL AL 1 9 52 0 0 0 20 72.3 85 37 27 32 4.60 3.71 (-24%) -
1976 ATL AL 0 1 15 0 0 0 1 18.3 25 15 9 7 7.36 3.51 (-110%) -
1976 BOS AL 4 5 37 0 0 0 8 81.0 91 31 25 32 3.44 3.51 (+2%) -269.2
1977 BOS AL 0 1 16 0 0 0 0 30.7 44 23 12 13 6.75 4.00 (-69%) -1241.4
1977 TOR AL 2 1 19 1 0 0 2 52.0 63 21 18 26 3.63 4.00 (+9%) -441.1
1978 TOR AL 6 9 50 0 0 0 7 94.0 87 41 37 36 3.93 3.69 (-6%) -1997.9
1979 TOR AL 1 2 10 0 0 0 0 18.3 23 11 8 6 5.40 4.00 (-35%) -43.1

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
443 289 21 42 7 0 1 18 0 13 96 0.145 0.181 0.180 0.361 -1543.9

Career AVG .145 vs. league average .254 across their career seasons — 42.9% below league average.

Career OBP .181 vs. league average .321 across their career seasons — 43.7% below league average.

Career SLG .180 vs. league average .374 across their career seasons — 51.9% below league average.

Career OPS 0.361 vs. league average 0.695 across their career seasons — 48.1% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1968 LAA AL 15 28 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 10 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1969 LAA AL 36 71 2 10 2 0 0 4 0 3 26 0.141 .248 (-43%) .320 (-46%) .369 (-54%) .689 (-50%) -600.5
1970 LAA AL 39 76 7 14 1 0 1 7 0 5 32 0.184 .253 (-27%) .325 (-29%) .385 (-39%) .711 (-34%) -446.9
1971 LAA AL 37 75 5 13 3 0 0 6 0 2 19 0.173 .249 (-30%) .316 (-39%) .365 (-42%) .682 (-40%) -496.5
1972 LAA AL 6 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1972 KCR AL 21 13 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1973 STL NL 19 23 1 4 1 0 0 1 0 1 5 0.174 — — — — 0.0
1974 ATL AL 70 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.500 — — — — 0.0
1975 ATL AL 53 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1976 ATL AL 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1976 BOS AL 37 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1977 BOS AL 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1977 TOR AL 19 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1978 TOR AL 50 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1979 TOR AL 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 439 147 100 263 23 18

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1968 CAL P 15 15 5 11 3 0
1969 CAL P 36 35 14 38 5 6
1970 CAL P 39 38 22 29 5 3
1971 CAL P 37 36 19 49 4 2
1972 CAL P 6 0 0 5 0 0
1972 KCA P 18 9 3 15 1 1
1973 SLN P 19 13 8 16 1 0
1974 ML4 P 70 0 4 30 0 2
1975 ML4 P 52 0 6 11 2 1
1976 ML4 P 15 0 2 4 0 0
1976 BOS P 37 0 5 12 2 1
1977 BOS P 16 0 1 7 0 0
1977 TOR P 19 1 4 7 0 0
1978 TOR P 50 0 4 24 0 1
1979 TOR P 10 0 3 5 0 1

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 439
Designated Hitter 1

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Ohio University Athens OH 1965, 1966

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1974 Most Valuable Player AL 30th 3.0 336 0