Dwayne Murphy

“Taking hits away from people,” said Dwayne Murphy, “is the part of the game I love most. I know what my reaction is when it happens to me. It’s demoralizing. Once, during batting practice, a player on another team . . . came up to me mad as hell. He told me I had no business playing so close to the infield, that the line drive he’d hit and that I’d caught was supposed to be an automatic single. I should back up more, he said, show some class. He was cussing and fuming, and I was loving every minute of it.”1

Murphy, whose major league career spanned the years 1978-1989, primarily as center fielder for the Oakland A’s, was very good at taking hits away from people. Opposing managers and coaches of the time knew it, awarding him six consecutive Gold Gloves (1980-1985). And at least one modern analytic tool supports their judgment: Murphy rates as the top center fielder in baseball history in Range Factor/9 innings, a metric based on the number of putouts and assists by a defender per nine innings that was not in wide use when he played.  

But “Murph” was more than a talented fly-chaser. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound left-handed batter and right-handed thrower didn’t hit for a high average. Even so, his power and propensity for drawing walks made him an above-average offensive player (115 career OPS+). He was also a respected clubhouse presence and served as A’s team captain for several years.

***

Dwayne Keith Murphy was born on March 18, 1955, in Merced, California. His father, Clarence, was a staff sergeant in the Air Force, while his mother Mabel (née Jordan) managed the household. Dwayne was the fourth of six kids; he had an older brother, two older sisters, and two younger brothers, one of whom, Rod, played for several years in the A’s minor-league system. The family lived in Japan when Murphy was a toddler but then moved to Edwards Air Force Base in California and eventually to nearby Lancaster.

An all-around athlete, he excelled in both baseball and football at Antelope Valley High School. “When I think of him right now, I think about football and…him hitting guys and their helmets flying off,” said Brent Newcomb, assistant coach at Antelope Valley.2 

He received numerous football scholarship offers, but none for baseball, despite hitting .433 as a senior shortstop. Murphy originally targeted Arizona State University, but when ASU wanted to limit him to football, he focused instead on the University of New Mexico. In April of his senior year, however, he married his longtime girlfriend, Brenda Grimes. When Oakland selected him in round 15 of the June 1973 amateur draft and A’s scouts Phil Pote and Bo Palica3 offered a $6,500 bonus, he decided to forego college and sign with the A’s.4 

His first stop was Lewiston in the short-season single-A Northwest League. “I remember he wasn’t that great a shortstop,” said former A’s pitcher Steve McCatty, a Lewiston teammate who would later become Murphy’s road roommate and close friend. “I won’t say that he threw balls over the wall and into the stands, but the coaches saw him play for a little while and said, ‘OK, that’s enough. Get in the outfield.’”5

After hitting .233 with 14 stolen bases in his age-18 season and becoming a father when Dwayne, Jr. was born, Murphy was promoted in 1974 to Burlington (Iowa) of the Single-A Midwest League. It was a difficult year. “I was struggling a lot in the outfield,” he said. “I had difficulty judging fly balls. After my year in Burlington, I would have liked to switch back to football, but that wasn’t an option in those days.”6

Murphy’s season ended early when he underwent ankle surgery to address an old football injury. He hit just .220 with two homers in 53 games. One positive, though, was the tutelage of Burlington manager Rene Lachemann. “He was a big-time influence,” said Murphy. Another positive was the birth of his son Scott.

Murphy was moved in 1975 to Modesto in the Single-A California League. Luckily, Lachemann was named Modesto’s new skipper. “Having the same manager helped. He worked with me all the time,” said Murphy.7  “My idol was Willie McCovey, and I had his big looping swing. Rene got me to cut it down.”8

He had a fine season offensively, hitting .291 with a .400 on-base percentage to go with eight home runs and 37 steals. The A’s promoted both Murphy and Lachemann again in 1976, sending them to Double-A Chattanooga. In midseason he was elevated to Triple-A Tucson, where he posted a .235 average.

Back in Chattanooga in 1977, he hit .256 with five homers, 28 stolen bases and a .399 on-base percentage bolstered by a Southern League-leading 97 walks. “But I was still struggling defensively,” said Murphy.9

A turning point in his defensive evolution came during spring training in 1978. “(A’s center fielder) Billy North got hold of me. He gave me some pointers and things really clicked.”  North suggested that Murphy turn sideways when the pitch was delivered to judge fly balls better. He also had tips on handling Oakland’s notoriously difficult sunny skies. “I don’t think I ever lost a ball in the sun after that,” said Murphy.10 

Murphy made the team as a backup. His first appearance came on April 8 in Anaheim as a defensive replacement. “They got some baserunners and then hit a line drive my way and I made a diving catch,” he recalled. “I came running into the dugout expecting high-fives but instead I got chewed out for taking a risk that could have backfired.”11

His first hit was a run-scoring single off Jim Crawford in the ninth inning of a 10-4 win over Detroit at Tiger Stadium on May 12. Murphy was sent down to AAA Vancouver in mid-June but returned in July and had his best day at the plate soon after, registering four hits in six at-bats against Minnesota. For the most part, though, he struggled; he headed back to Vancouver in August after hitting .192.

“Charlie Finley [A’s owner and general manager] told me I’d be recalled in September. Liar! I stayed in Triple-A the rest of the season,” recalled Murphy. “Five or six years later we were in Chicago and Charlie came down to the clubhouse to say hello. When he saw me, he said ‘I bet you’re still mad that I didn’t call you up that September like I’d promised.’”12

He opened the 1979 season in Oakland as a reserve but soon became the starting center fielder.13  For the year Murphy hit .255 and worked 84 walks, resulting in an outstanding .387 on-base percentage. He also provided glimpses of both his speed (15 steals) and power (11 homers).

“We lost over 100 games that year and the fans stayed away. We had games with only a few hundred people there where you could hear them talking from the dugout,” said Murphy. “But I didn’t care: I was in the big leagues.”14  For Dwayne and Brenda, 1979 was significant not only as the year Murph established himself as a major-leaguer but also for the birth of their youngest child, Christina.

The pessimism hanging over the A’s in the late ’70s began to lift in February 1980 when Finley announced the hiring of Billy Martin as manager. A native of Berkeley and former star for the PCL’s Oakland Oaks, Martin had deep roots in the East Bay. More importantly, he had a record of managerial success at previous stops in Minnesota, Detroit, Texas, and New York. Martin also had a record of flaming out spectacularly. His well-established pattern of early highs followed by rapid falls from grace would repeat itself in Oakland.  

From the outset of the Martin regime, the A’s played an exciting, aggressive style that came to be known as Billy Ball. “He has given us a lot of new ideas . . . We are thinking, running, bunting, squeezing and stealing home,” said Murphy. He, right fielder Tony Armas and 20-year-old newcomer Rickey Henderson all thrived under Martin.15

On offense, Murphy and Henderson in particular fed off each other. Henderson, who would go on to steal 100 bases to break Ty Cobb’s American League single-season record, batted leadoff. Murphy batted second. “I like hitting behind Rickey,” he said. “I have more opportunities to get fastballs because he steals.”16

But Henderson also benefited. Murphy’s patient approach gave Rickey the ability to pick his spots. No less an authority than all-time steals leader Lou Brock highlighted Murphy’s contributions. “The key to his (Henderson’s) success is that man right there,” said Brock, pointing at Murphy. “It’s a two-man act.”17

On defense, the A’s outfielders were gaining recognition for their outstanding play. “With the A’s, there’s virtually nothing one outfielder can do on defense that the others cannot do also,” noted Ron Fimrite in Sports Illustrated. “All three are fast—Henderson, blindingly so; all have powerful throwing arms, with Armas’ being perhaps the strongest in baseball; all three can go back well on a ball hit over their heads, Murphy better than anyone playing; and all three charge balls hit in front of them with equal alacrity.”18

“The A’s have the best outfield I’ve ever seen. Ever,” said venerable baseball man Don Zimmer. “I’m talking about the complete group of three. I’ve seen Snider and Furillo. I’ve seen Clemente and Virdon. But there was always a third outfielder in those groups who couldn’t do some of the things the other two could.”19 

Oakland finished second in the American League West with an 83-79 record, a 29-game improvement. Murphy slashed .274/.384/.380 and stole 26 bases. He had a league-leading 22 sacrifice bunts and finished sixth in Wins Above Replacement (WAR) with 6.9.  His outstanding defense—including 507 putouts, the fifth-highest total ever for an outfielder and one unequaled since—earned him his first Gold Glove.

In addition to the team’s improvement, the late-season sale of the club by Finley was a cause for celebration in Oakland. After years of rumored moves to Denver or New Orleans, the purchase by local investors—including Levi Strauss & Company Chairman Walter Haas—seemed too good to be true. In contrast to Finley, the new owners promised to invest in improvements to the Oakland Coliseum and to treat the team as a community asset.20 

Between the ownership change and the exciting young core, A’s fans were optimistic as the 1981 campaign began. The excitement only increased as the club went 8-0 on its season-opening road trip. In the home opener on April 17 against Seattle, a Coliseum-record crowd for baseball of 50,255 saw Murphy put the A’s ahead 2-0 with a two-run homer, initiating a 16-1 demolition of the Mariners. The A’s went on to win 11 straight games to open the season (then a major-league record) before a loss to Seattle, then won six more to bump their record to 17-1.

Murphy was instrumental in the hot start. In Anaheim he stole a homer from Tom Brunansky, a theft that “astonished 27,697 fans in Anaheim Stadium.”21  Against the Angels in Oakland, Murphy launched what seasoned observers believed was one of the longest homers ever at the Coliseum, “a blast that struck the concrete facing in the right field upper deck.”22

The campaign was halted in mid-June by the players’ strike with the A’s still holding the lead in the AL West. During the stoppage, Murphy put the time to good use, building a new fence in his backyard, playing catch with his teammate and neighbor McCatty, and attending eight-year-old Dwayne, Jr.’s Farm League ball games.23  When play resumed in August (with a split-season format), Murphy blasted a walk-off 10th-inning homer in the A’s “second opener.” After his round-tripper, “the fans howled and clapped along to the sound of ‘Celebration’ for three minutes.”24

Kansas City won the AL West’s second half, so the A’s faced the Royals in the makeshift Divisional Series. Murphy figured prominently in the A’s three-game sweep, hitting a homer in Game One and scoring the winning run in Game Two.25  For the series he went 6-for-11 with four runs scored and two driven in. In the League Championship Series, though, the experience and star power of the New York Yankees proved too much for the A’s—they ended Oakland’s run with a three-game sweep of their own.

Despite the interrupted season and its disappointing ending, it was a successful year for Murphy, who slashed .251/.369/.408 and was 10th in the league with 4.4 WAR. Players voted him the American League’s All-Star center fielder.26 He was the top AL vote-getter at any position for the Gold Glove, as his outstanding defense was recognized for the second consecutive year.27  He also received down-ballot support for Most Valuable Player, finishing 11th.

Murph’s offseason included a trip to Hawaii with several teammates to compete in (and win) the made-for-TV Superteams competition on ABC.28  He also avoided arbitration by signing a one-year deal with the A’s worth $350,000.29

Oakland was the consensus pick to win the AL West in 1982.30 But after two years of very heavy workloads, the starting pitchers were plagued by injuries and ineffectiveness – which came to be called “Billy Burnout” – while the infielders were barely better than replacement-level. By the All-Star break the A’s were 38-50 and out of contention.

The one bright spot for the A’s and their fans was Henderson’s record-setting stolen base total of 130, eclipsing Brock’s single season record of 118 steals. During the on-field ceremony on the night he broke the record, Henderson hugged Murphy and kissed him on the forehead. “If I could have split that base in half, I would have given the other half to Dwayne Murphy,” said Henderson. “Dwayne has had to use a lot of patience hitting behind me. He won’t hit for a high average . . . because he has to take pitches that he would normally hit.”31

The A’s limped across the finish line with a 68-94 record. On the season’s final day, Martin lightened the mood by playing several players out of position, including Murphy. For the first time since high school, Murph was penciled in as the starting shortstop, where he handled all four of his chances flawlessly.32

For the season Murphy set career highs with 27 homers and 94 RBIs while slashing .238/.349/.418 and finishing 10th in the league with 5.9 WAR. He led the majors in outfield putouts with 452 and in center field assists with 14. Thus, he was rewarded with his third Gold Glove.

With the A’s need to improve on the infield, Murphy was the subject of offseason trade speculation. Instead, the club traded Armas to Boston for third baseman Carney Lansford and signed Murphy to a four-year $3.3 million contract. “He (Murphy) is a very important part of the team, both with his talent and his leadership,” said A’s President Roy Eisenhardt.33

Armas was not the only key offseason departure. The A’s fired Martin, who had continued his history of self-sabotage, behaving erratically late in the season while also demanding a contract extension and salary increase.34  They replaced him with Steve Boros, a former Detroit infielder and an early proponent of using computers in his decision-making, which wasn’t popular with Murphy.  “I was used to positioning the outfielders,” he said. In the new regime, Boros would overrule Murphy’s judgment based on analytics. “It was hard.”35

The A’s finished fourth in the AL West. Murphy battled injuries and had a down year offensively, with an OPS below .700 in only 130 games. When he played, though, he was outstanding defensively and earned another Gold Glove.

Murph put together his finest year offensively in 1984, slashing .256/.342/.472. He hit a career high 33 homers and was the A’s entrant in a home run hitting contest (a precursor to the modern-day Home Run Derby), though he lost in the first round to Fred Lynn.36  He led all American League outfielders in putouts, added 14 assists, and was awarded a Gold Glove, barely outdistancing Detroit’s Chet Lemon in the voting.37

Oakland traded Henderson to the Yankees during the offseason, leaving Murphy as the sole holdover from the club’s outstanding outfield of the early ‘80s. He started slowly in 1985 and thought he might be next to move on. “This club needs pitching,” he said. “Plus, I’m struggling a little bit. It wouldn’t surprise me. . . if I got traded.”38

But the A’s held on to Murphy, who finished with a .233/.340/.400 slash line and 20 homers. In Gold Glove voting he and Boston’s Dwight Evans tied for the third outfield slot and were both named winners.39 

Early in 1986, Murphy ruptured a disk, which sidelined him for almost two months. “There went my Gold Glove,” he noted.40 He returned to the lineup at about the same time the A’s hired Tony La Russa as manager. For either reason, or both, the A’s thrived, going 45-34 under La Russa and giving fans hope after several losing years.

Murphy was optimistic as well. He worked during the offseason to level his swing so that it would put less strain on his back. “It’s more of a line-drive swing,” he said.41

A feature in The Sporting News highlighted not only Murphy’s retooled swing but also his wide-ranging interests, particularly his devotion to “Star Trek.”  The article noted that he had videotapes of almost every episode, that he had a collection of Star Trek plates, and that during one of his Gold Glove seasons, Murphy’s mitt was engraved with the name “Spock.”42

Murph got off to a solid start but in late April injured his knee in a collision with right fielder Mike Davis. He underwent surgery and was out for more than two months. A torn left calf muscle sent him to the disabled list again after the All-Star break. He played in only 82 games, hitting .233 but with an on-base percentage of .388.

Perhaps Murphy’s most successful 1987 undertaking was his decision to join teammate Davis in providing a $20,000 loan to one-time A’s batboy and club executive Stanley Burrell (aka MC Hammer) to start his “Bustin Records” label.43  Hammer went on to repay the loans and enjoy a long and successful musical career.

With young stars like José Canseco and Mark McGwire coming into their own, Oakland decided not to re-sign Murphy, their longest-tenured player after 10 seasons with the club. Though several teams expressed interest in the first-time free agent, he remained unsigned. “That was the collusion year,” noted Murphy.44  He signed with the Fresno Suns in the Single-A California League to stay in shape while hoping for an offer.45  Finally in June Detroit inked him to a minor-league contract and sent him to Toledo in the American Association.

Murphy was recalled at the end of July; in his first game he had two hits and scored the winning run. In limited action he put together a stat line typical for him, slashing .250/.361/.368 and making no fielding errors.

Murphy went to spring training with Detroit in 1989 but was released. He then signed with the Philadelphia Phillies. Used primarily as a pinch-hitter and backup left fielder, he appeared in 98 games and batted only .218—yet managed an OPS of .764 with nine homers in 156 at-bats. “It was interesting. I’d never played in the National League before,” said Murphy. “It was totally different—the pitcher hitting, double switches.”46  His last major-league hit was a homer off Montreal’s Dennis Martinez on September 9.  For his career, he slashed .246/.356/.402 with 166 homers and 100 steals to go with his six Gold Gloves.

The Yakult Swallows signed Murphy to play in Japan in 1990. “That was different,” he said with a laugh. “Those guys work their butts off. They come in at noon for a night game, do drills until 4:30, take a break, and then do more drills until the game starts.”47 Murphy appeared in 34 games before injuring his knee and calling it quits.

In the early ’90s, Murphy returned to his football roots and coached at the high school level near his home in San Ramon, California. Toward the end of that decade, he got back into baseball with the Arizona Diamondbacks (the organization was formed and their minor league infrastructure created prior to the beginning of play by the major-league club). He first coached a co-op team in Visalia, California that included prospects from both the Arizona and Detroit Tigers organizations. The Diamondbacks then hired him to manage their rookie team, at which time he and Brenda moved to Arizona. In 1997 he was a minor-league hitting instructor in the organization before joining the big club as first base coach in their inaugural season, 1998.48

Murphy became Arizona’s hitting coach in 2001, when the expansion club won a world championship in only their fourth year of existence. “That World Series was an incredible experience,” recalled Murphy. “I wish I’d gotten to play in it, but just being there was very exciting for me.”

After leaving the Diamondbacks following the 2003 season, Murphy signed on with Toronto in 2005 as their Triple-A hitting and outfield coach. Promoted to the big leagues in 2008 as first base coach, he became the club’s hitting coach in 2009. In 2010, the Blue Jays totaled 257 home runs, with seven players hitting 20 homers or more. “José Bautista, Adam Lind, Eddie Encarnación . . . I think I played a big part in that.”49

Murphy eventually tired of working at the major-league level and took a minor-league coordinator position with the Texas Rangers organization. “I liked the coordinator job. You work with young guys from the rookie leagues to AAA,” said Murphy. “It’s your program: it’s your job to help them get better.” 

After five years with Texas, Murphy retired to Chandler, Arizona. Music is a big part of his recreation. Although bass guitar is his primary instrument, as of 2025 he is trying to teach himself piano (“it’s hard”). He also enjoys playing golf and spending time with his six grandchildren.

Last revised: October 29, 2025

Acknowledgments

The author thanks Dwayne Murphy (his favorite player of the “Billy Ball” era) for graciously agreeing to be interviewed (March 15, 2025). Unless otherwise specified, all Murohy quotes come from this interview.

This biography was reviewed by Gregory H. Wolf and Rory Costello and fact-checked by Tony Oliver.

Photo credit: Dwayne Murphy, SABR-Rucker Archive.

Sources

Besides the sources listed in the endnotes, the author consulted BaseballReference.com.

1 Ron Fimrite, “A Well Matched Set,” Sports Illustrated, May 10, 1982: 88.

2 Jeff Wong, “Where Are They Now:  Dwayne Murphy,” Los Angeles Times, June 25, 1994:  accessed online at https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-06-25-sp-8439-story.html  on June 12, 2025.

3 Baseball Hall of Fame Library, player file for Dwayne Murphy.

4 Hall of Fame Library file

5 Wong, “Where Are They Now:  Dwayne Murphy.”

6 Dwayne Murphy, telephone interview with author, March 15, 2025 (hereinafter “Murphy interview.”)

7 Murphy interview.

8 Fimrite, “A Well Matched Set.”

9 Murphy interview.

10 Murphy interview.

11 Murphy interview.

12 Murphy interview.

13 Stephanie Salter, “Revering was Exception to Rule for ’79 A’s,” San Francisco Examiner, October 4, 1979:  63.

14 Murphy interview.

15 Kit Stier, “A’s Promote Murphy to Head of Class,” The Sporting News, May 17, 1980:  15.

16 Stier, “A’s Promote Murphy to Head of Class.”

17 Kit Stier, “A’s Henderson Has Urge to Run,” The Sporting News, July 5, 1980: 9.

18 Fimrite, “A Well Matched Set.”

19 Fimrite, “A Well Matched Set.”

20 Kit Stier, “A’s New Owners:  Big Plans,” The Sporting News, September 13, 1980:  41.

21 Kit Stier, “’Tony, Tony, Tony’ –A’s Fans Flip Over Armas,” The Sporting News, May 9, 1981:  11.

22 “American League Flashes,” The Sporting News, May 23, 1981:  36.

23 Stephanie Salter, “McCatty, Murphy Really Catching It,” San Francisco Examiner, June 20, 1981:  34.

24 Glenn Schwarz, “Cat and Murph Show Wows A’s Rooters,” San Francisco Examiner, August 15, 1981: 30.

25 Kit Stier, “Up and Coming A’s Frustrate Royals,” The Sporting News, October 24, 1981: 21.

26 Ben Henkey, “A’s Outfield Trio Tops AL All-Stars,” The Sporting News, November 14, 1981: 42.

27 Ben Henkey, “Gold Glover Ozzie One of a Kind,” The Sporting News, December 19, 1981: 43.

28 https://www.thesuperstars.org/comp/82team.html, accessed July 3, 2025.

29 Kit Stier, “Murphy in the Fold; $535,000 for Rickey,” The Sporting News, February 20, 1982: 37.

30 Carl Clark Jr., “Writers Call for Rematch in Pennant Picks,” The Sporting News, April 10, 1982: 16.

31 Kit Stier, “I’m Glad It’s Over – Henderson,” The Sporting News, September 6, 1982:  11.

32 Kit Stier, “Oakland’s Infield Due for Overhaul,” The Sporting News, October 18, 1982: 43.

33 Kit Stier, “A’s Corral Murphy; $3.3 Million Pact,” The Sporting News, February 7, 1983: 34.

34 Glenn Schwarz, “How Billy Martin Got the Ax,” San Francisco Examiner, October 21, 1982: 1.

35 Murphy interview.

36 Kit Stier, “Burris Earns Job As Starter for A’s,” The Sporting News, May 14, 1984:  26.

37 Ben Henkey, “Andujar, Dernier Join Gold Glove Club,” The Sporting News, December 3, 1984: 55.

38 Glenn Schwarz, “A’s Murphy Thinking Trade,” San Francisco Examiner, May 8, 1985: 61.

39 Kit Stier, “Griffin’s Defense Amazes Murphy,” The Sporting News, December 16, 1985:  48.

40 Murphy interview.

41 King Thompson, “Murphy Changes Swing Because of Bad Back,” San Francisco Examiner, March 6, 1987: 103.

42 Kit Stier, “Can A’s Murphy Be on the Level?,” The Sporting News, April 13, 1987: 25.

43 Joe Gergen, “A’s Rap Hits; So Does M.C.,” Newsday, October 5, 1990:  237.

44 Murphy interview.

45 Joan Ryan, “The Road Back,” San Francisco Examiner, June 2, 1988: 67.

46 Murphy interview.

47 Murphy interview.

48 Murphy interview.

49 Murphy interview.