On April 21, 1994, future Santa Clarita business owner Eddie Murray made Major League Baseball history by becoming the first player to homer from both sides of the plate in a game for the 11th time, setting a new MLB record.

The Hall of Fame slugger would later co-own the Santa Clarita Valley’s first Mercedes-Benz dealership, located in Valencia.

Born Feb. 24, 1956, in Los Angeles, Eddie Clarence Murray was drafted by the Orioles in 1973 and made his major league debut in 1977. He quickly made his mark, winning American League Rookie of the Year honors with a .283 average, 27 homers and 88 RBI. Over the next decade, he became a powerhouse in the Orioles’ lineup, consistently delivering 28 home runs and 99 RBI per season.

Murray’s career included stints with the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Cleveland Indians, California Angels, and a return to the Orioles before retiring in 1997 as a Dodger. He finished with 504 home runs (second among switch-hitters behind Mickey Mantle), 3,255 hits, a .287 batting average, and 1,917 RBI – tops all-time among switch-hitters.

His milestone moments included his 400th home run with the Mets in 1992, his 3,000th hit with the Indians in 1995, his 500th home run back with the Orioles in 1996, and a game-winning RBI single in the 11th inning of Game 3 of the 1995 World Series

In 1998, the Orioles retired his number 33. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003 and later worked as a hitting coach for both the Cleveland Indians and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

But Murray’s impact went beyond baseball.

In the mid-2000s, he teamed up with former Dodgers GM Kevin Malone and veteran auto dealer Lenny Sage to bring Mercedes-Benz to the Santa Clarita Valley. The trio opened the dealership in December 2005 at 23355 Valencia Boulevard, expanding the city’s “auto row” from Creekside Road.

“Mercedes-Benz contacted me and let me know they were looking at bringing a franchise here,” Malone recalled in a 2007 interview. “They were looking for a celebrity … and Eddie Murray fit that well. Eddie and I were baseball guys; we needed a car guy to run the business, and Lenny is running the dealership.”

To read yesterday’s Today in SCV History, click here.

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