Presented here is a fascinating and important accumulation of classic vintage photos and team documents and manuals from legendary Yankees relief pitcher Johnny Murphy, who later went on to become the general manager of the New York Mets in a career that spanned five decades. A member of seven World Series winning teams – the most for any pitcher in history – Murphy was an early relief ace for the powerhouse Yankees teams in the 1930’s and 1940’s, leading the American League in wins for a relief pitcher seven times and topping the league in saves (done retroactively – it was several decades away from being an official statistic in 1934). In eight World Series games, he went 2-0 with an ERA of 1.10 and four saves. Playing his final MLB season with the arch-rival Red Sox, Murphy went right to the Boston front office after retiring and ran the Sox’ farm and scouting system for 13 years before joining his former boss, George Weiss, as the pair labored to midwife the brand-new New York Mets, who joined the National League in 1962. Rising to positions of vice president and general manager, he would play a major role in orchestrating the success of the Miracle Mets, who turned the baseball world on its ear in 1969. Only months after the club’s incredible World Series victory over the Orioles, Murphy suffered a heart attack and died in January of 1970.
With that remarkable pedigree comes this important grouping that is headlined by some spectacular oversized vintage photographs and another array of more than a dozen period 8-by-10’s posing with many of the biggest names in the game, including many with the great Joe DiMaggio. All photos are black-and-white or sepia toned where indicated. Here’s the breakdown:
1) 12-by-20-inch sepia tone photo of Murphy’s 1944 farewell dinner – has some spotting and age deterioration and some small cracking.
2) 1931 American Association St. Paul team photograph of pennant winners, with a dozen players who played in or would eventually get to the majors – some staining and small cracks.
3) 11-by-14-inch first-generation Wire photo of Joe DiMaggio at an old-timer’s game. Presents EX, but with a few small tears.
4) A total of sixteen 8-by-10-inch photos, including several first-generation Wire photos, that feature the following subjects: Murphy in his Yankees uniform in a posed-action shot; a sepia tone photo of Murphy at his desk at Shea Stadium dancing with his wife; a dapper Bob Hope with a cadre of 1940’s gals; Murphy’s desk at Shea Stadium; three old-timer’s day photos with teammates and other stars from the league; with Luis Arroyo; a picture of a silver box awarded to Joe DiMaggio in honor of the 56-game hitting streak; and six images with DiMaggio alone or with other teammates or officials (Keller, Cronin, Kuhn). Photos range mostly Very Good to Excellent, a few with small tears.
5) A total of five smaller photos including: a 5-by-8 of Ted Williams; a 5-by-8 of Murphy that has been removed from an album; a shot of a young Murphy with a Yankee farm club in 1928 when he played under an alias (noted on back) because he was still a junior at Fordham University; a personal hunting photograph with friends; and a small photo of Murphy with his very first baseball team as a youngster.
6) Souvenir photo in commemorative holder at the Hotel Chase in St. Louis (with Henrich, Marshall and Hassett).
7) Souvenir 8-by-10-inch photo in commemorative holder at the Edgewater Hotel in Chicago with wives, friends and family.
8) 1960 New York Yankees Scorecard (unmarked) measuring 6-by-9 inches in generally EX condition.
9) Rawlings 5-by-7-inch photo with company executive at Colorado hotel in 1957.
10) Superb New York Central train 5-by-8-inch menu, 8 pages in length with holder and Yankees team picture inside. Wonderful EX-MT condition.
11) Boston Red Sox Spring Training Manual with instructions for players and three EX-MT 5-by-7-inch booklets, each 36 pages.
12) A remarkable grouping of 42 typewritten pages on Red Sox letterhead. Pages are 8-by-14 and include one cover page that notes that 28 of the pages feature a summary of baseball instructions and demonstrations for baseball coaches of New England by the Boston Red Sox - dated Feb. 11-12, 1949 at Tufts College. The other 14 pages include instructions on virtually every phase of the game, a truly stunning glimpse into the historical archive of team management and instruction in the years after the close of World War II.
Includes Letter of Provenance from the Murphy Family.