We lost another familiar voice this weekend, as former major-leaguer and longtime Yankee broadcaster Bobby Murcer succumbed to brain cancer on Saturday. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Kay — his high-school sweetheart — and their family.

The five-time All-Star entered the big leagues with the unfortunate expectation of becoming the next Mickey Mantle. He never acheived Mantle-like numbers, finishing with 252 homeruns and 1043 RBIs. Playing a full season in pitcher-friendly Shea (while Yankee Stadium was being refurbished in ‘74 ) and two in windy Candlestick (after being traded to the Giants in ‘75 for Bobby Bonds) probably didn’t help. It’s quite likely he would have reached the 300-homer plateau had he not spent the ‘67 and ‘68 seasons serving his country in the U.S. Army.

After four seasons in the National League, Murcer returned to the Yankees in 1979. That year, his good friend, beloved Yankee captain Thurman Munson, died tragically in a plane crash. Murcer delivered a teary eulogy at Munson’s funeral, and in the Bombers’ next game, drove in all five Yankee runs in a 5-4 win over the Orioles, with a three-run dinger and a walk-off, two-run single in the ninth.

Always a team player, Murcer retired in 1983 to open a roster spot for Don Mattingly, and moved to the play-by-play booth, where his Okie twang and folksy wisdom entertained a generation of Yankee fans.

Rest in peace.