Buzz Murphy
Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1918-1919)
Buzz Murphy was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1918 to 1919 for the Boston Braves and the Washington Senators, a span of 2 seasons. In 88 career games, he hit .275 with 78 hits, 1 home runs, and 37 RBI.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Outfielder
- Bats / Throws
- L / L
- Height / Weight
- 5'8" / 155 lb
- Died
- 5/11/1938 in Denver, CO, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1918-07-14
- Last Game
- 1919-09-21
Full name: Robert Sylvester Murphy
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 88 | 284 | 25 | 78 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 37 | 5 | 22 | 37 | .275 | .338 | .366 | .704 | -99 |
Career AVG .275 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — +6.1% above league average.
Career OBP .338 vs. league average .321 across their career seasons — +5.2% above league average.
Career SLG .366 vs. league average .338 across their career seasons — +8.4% above league average.
Career OPS .704 vs. league average .659 across their career seasons — +6.9% above league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1918 | BSN | NL | 9 | 32 | 6 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 5 | .375 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1919 | WS1 | AL | 79 | 252 | 19 | 66 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 28 | 5 | 19 | 32 | .262 | .262 (avg) | .322 (+1%) | .347 (-8%) | .670 (-3%) | -98.8 |
| Career · 2 seasons | 88 | 284 | 25 | 78 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 37 | 5 | 22 | 37 | .275 | — | — | — | — | -99 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (88 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 54 | 174 | 12 | 44 | 0 | 18 | .253 |
| Away | 34 | 111 | 12 | 34 | 1 | 17 | .306 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1919-09-21 | MIN | CLE | L | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1919-09-20 | MIN | CLE | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1919-09-20 | MIN | CLE | L | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1919-09-19 | MIN | CLE | L | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1919-09-18 | MIN | SLA | W | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1919-09-18 | MIN | SLA | W | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1919-09-16 | MIN | SLA | W | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1919-09-14 | MIN | DET | L | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1919-09-13 | MIN | DET | W | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1919-09-11 | MIN | CHW | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Left Field | 41 |
| Center Field | 41 |
Buzz Murphy: the record in brief
Buzz Murphy's major league career runs from a debut on July 14, 1918 to a final game on September 21, 1919. The team column moves through the Boston Braves (1918) and the Washington Senators (1919). Born on April 26, 1895, in Denver, CO, USA, Murphy is listed as an outfielder and batted and threw left-handed. Murphy's listed size is 155 pounds on a 5-foot-8 frame. Murphy died on May 11, 1938, in Denver, CO, USA. Buzz Murphy was the playing name; the full given name is Robert Sylvester.
In 88 games and 284 at bats, Murphy batted .275 with 78 hits, along with 1 home run and 37 runs batted in. Murphy's career OPS of .704 combines a .338 on-base mark with .366 slugging. The league as a whole hit .259 across Murphy's seasons, which puts the .275 career mark 6.1% above average. By OPS the gap is 6.9% above league average (.704 against .659). 1919 produced Murphy's most hits, 66 of them for the Washington Senators. Murphy drove in a season-high 28 runs in 1919. Even the best average among the busiest seasons, .262 in 1919, did not top the league's .262.
Frequently Asked Questions about Buzz Murphy
- What years did Buzz Murphy play?
- Buzz Murphy played in Major League Baseball from 1918 to 1919.
- Was Buzz Murphy a pitcher?
- No. Buzz Murphy was a position player (Outfielder).
- How many home runs did Buzz Murphy hit?
- Buzz Murphy hit 1 career home runs with 78 hits.
- What was Buzz Murphy's career batting average?
- Buzz Murphy batted .275 over his career, with 78 hits in 284 at bats.
- How many RBI did Buzz Murphy have?
- Buzz Murphy drove in 37 runs in his career.
- Is Buzz Murphy in the Hall of Fame?
- No. Buzz Murphy has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.