Remembering Thurman Munson: The Yankees Captain

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By Anthony “Zute” George

Thurman Munson lost his life on August 2nd, 1979. The details of his airplane accident are so horrific, and I do not care to get into those details. Instead, let us look back at a great career, from an even greater man.

Thurman was an exceptional athlete who captured the Rookie of the Year award in 1970 as the Yankees backstop. His tenacious play and outstanding defense were noticed immediately by the baseball world. In 1971, Munson only made one error as a catcher. As a hitter, Munson finished with a respectable.292 lifetime batting average. His best year with the bat was in 1976, where Thurman belted 17 home runs, drove in 105 runs and stole an impressive 14 bases as a catcher. His campaign helped the Pinstripes win their first pennant since 1964 and was enough to win the American League Most Valuable Player award. Munson is still the only Yankees player to win both the Rookie of the Year and the Most Valuable Player awards.

17 home runs might not sound impressive today, but baseball numbers must be put into perspective. Munson played in an era where home runs where much less frequent. In 1976, no batter hit over 40 home runs; only four players hit more than 30, and in the entire decade of the ‘70s, only one player, George Foster, hit more than 50 home runs; Big George blasted 52 dingers in 1977. Also, only seven players had over 100 runs batted in in 1976.

It is also important to note that when Munson played Yankee Stadium was just murder on right-handed hitters. I still get goosebumps when I observe Munson’s moon shot in the 1978 playoffs against the Kansas City Royals, where Thurman’s shot cleared the 430-foot wall with ease. Yes, I said 430 feet. In a year that Thurman only hit six home runs due to a bad shoulder; he did have 71 runs batted in and sport a .297 batting average that year.

Indeed, it was the postseason where Thurman shined. It is not an overstatement to call him one of the best clutch hitters of all time, that moon blast against the Royals is just one example of Thurman’s clutch hitting. While the 1977 World Series belonged to Reggie Jackson, Munson hit a robust .320. His career batting average in the World Series is .373, with an overall postseason batting of .357.

Munson was also head and shoulders amongst most in the intangibles department. A true leader, Munson always played hurt and inspired his teammates. Becoming the first Yankees Captain since Lou Gehrig. If you talk to any pitcher who Munson caught, they will tell you there was no one like him. Ron Guidry said that he knew his career would never be the same with Munson gone. Reggie Jackson, who had his fair share of issues with Thurman, explained that he was a good man and was hurt deeply by his death. And a smart man as well, as Thurman went on record to say Reggie was the big free agent to go after in 1977; going against the wishes of volatile manager Billy Martin, who wanted Joe Rudi instead of Reggie.

Munson’s desire to win was only rivaled by his desire to be with his family. Missing his beloved Diana, and his young children so much, Thurman took pilot lessons so he can fly home to spend time with his family as much as he can during the tumultuous baseball season; a move that would be unheard of today. But Thurman would not have it any other way, and the arrangement seemed to be working well, until that fateful day on August 2nd.

Thurman Munson was so impactful that even those who despise the New York Yankees and believe me there are plenty of them, respected Thurman immensely and felt his death.

I am a firm believer that Munson should be in the Hall of Fame. Two things hurt him. His short career does not give him the numbers. Which is odd because you often hear guys get discredited for playing a long time and being numbers compilers. Oh, how we always want to have it both ways.

The other slight on Thurman is that he was not as good as Johnny Bench and Carlton Fisk, two of his contemporaries. Al I will say about that is, one, where does Fisk keep his World Series rings and individual trophies? I guarantee you that the curse of the Bambino would have been broken had Munson played on the same Red Sox team that Fisk did.

Two, as tremendous a player that Bench was, what would happen if he and Munson switched teams? I know precisely what Munson would do as part of The Big Red Machine, as well as what his numbers would be like in the hitter-friendly Riverfront Stadium; the deepest part of the ballpark being 404 feet, in straight away center no less. But how would Bench fare in the Bronx Zoo, and the cavernous Yankee Stadium? I think we would at least have to admit Bench would not have as many homers if he played on the Yankees and Thurman would have a lot more had he played in that ballpark, in that lineup. And the last time I checked, both Bench and Munson have the same number of rings. I think the Reds would have found a way to win at least more World Series under Thurman’s leadership. It is disturbing when people cannot dig past the narrative that they have been force feed.

Thurman Munson will forever be remembered and will always be missed.

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