On July 9th, 1986, Atlanta’s Dale Murphy ended his consecutive-game streak at 740 and does not play in the Braves 7-3 win over the Phillies. Murphy hadn’t missed a game since September 1981.

Dale Murphy, who won back to back National League MVP awards in 1982 & 1983, is still not in the Baseball Hall of Fame. A fact that no one following baseball in the mid 1980s would have ever thought possible.

Murphy, who won five straight Gold Gloves as an outfielder from 1982-1986 while leading the league in traditional power stats like HRs and RBIs, was at his peak the best player in the game.

There is a difference between Peak Performance and Career Performance. The Hall of Fame generally awards plaques to players that put up the kind of numbers and stats that are the product of a long, productive career: 3000 hits, 300 wins, 500 home runs, etc. Murphy, who ended up with 398 homers in an 18 year injury-filled career, falls short of those kind of accumulated Career Stats.

But in my mind Dale Murphy belongs in the Hall of Fame for the same reason that Sandy Koufax is in the Hall of Fame: for a period of years he was the most dominant player in the game. He was must-watch tv.

Here are a few quotes from his contemporaries, most of whom are in the Hall of Fame themselves:

“I can’t imagine Joe DiMaggio was a better all-around player than Dale Murphy.” ~Nolan Ryan

“If you can’t be impressed by Murph, you can’t be impressed. What really impresses me is how he started out as a catcher a few years back and ends up in center field with a Gold Glove. You’ve got to appreciate that kind of talent.” ~Andre Dawson

“These days, anytime one of my pitchers keeps Murphy in the ballpark, I pat ’em on the fanny.” ~Pete Rose

“People keep looking for words to describe him. Well, there aren’t enough good words or words good enough.” ~Phil Niekro

“There’s no doubt he’s a great hitter who will get his home runs and RBIs, but the best thing about him is he also plays a great center field. In this age of specialization, when you get some guys who can steal, some who can hit, and some who can field, it’s nice to see a guy who can play all the facets.” ~Ron Darling

“I’d say he is probably the best all-around player in either league, probably the most valuable . . . in baseball right now (1982).” ~Hank Aaron