NEW YORK, July 28 (UPI) -- Hall of Fame broadcaster Bob Murphy has decided to pack up and retire at the end of the major league baseball season.
Murphy, 78, who is in his 50th season in baseball, made the announcement prior to Sunday's Cincinnati Reds-New York Mets game at Shea Stadium.
A staple of Mets broadcasts since 1962 and the team's radio voice since 1981, Murphy has worked a reduced schedule in recent years. When his decision to retire was announced Sunday, he was given a standing ovation by players and fans.
"Fifty years, not including my time in the minors, is a long run," Murphy said. "It's been an enjoyable trip. My wife Joye and I decided that this would be a natural time to call it quits. It's a hard decision to walk away, but this is the right time."
Murphy, who began his broadcasting career with Boston in 1954, was named winner of the Ford Frick Award in 1994 and inducted into the Hall of Fame later that summer.
He has witnessed more than 6,000 Mets' games, and the radio booth at Shea Stadium is named in his honor.
