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.<\/p>\n
The Hall of Fame slugger would later co-own the Santa Clarita Valley<\/a>\u2019s first Mercedes-Benz dealership, located in Valencia.<\/p>\n 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\u2019 lineup, consistently delivering 28 home runs and 99 RBI per season.<\/p>\n Murray\u2019s career included stints with the Los Angeles Dodgers<\/a>, 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 \u2013 tops all-time among switch-hitters.<\/p>\n 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<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n But Murray\u2019s impact went beyond baseball.<\/p>\n In the mid-2000s, he teamed up with former Dodgers<\/a> GM Kevin Malone and veteran auto dealer Lenny Sage to bring Mercedes-Benz<\/a> to the Santa Clarita Valley. The trio opened the dealership in December 2005 at 23355 Valencia Boulevard, expanding the city\u2019s \u201cauto row\u201d from Creekside Road.<\/p>\n \u201cMercedes-Benz contacted me and let me know they were looking at bringing a franchise here,\u201d Malone recalled in a 2007 interview. \u201cThey were looking for a celebrity \u2026 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.\u201d<\/p>\n To read yesterday\u2019s Today in SCV History, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220<\/a> is Santa Clarita\u2019s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n