Yankees broadcasters John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman tonight sent on-air congratulations to Westporter Jean Murdoch, winner of a 2009 Lexus in the WCBS Radio “Hit for the Cycle” contest.
Suzyn Waldman: “I called Jean to congratulate her.” Yankees Radio Network photo
“I called Jean yesterday to congratulate her,” said Waldman during a broadcast of the Yankees game from Toronto against the Blue Jays. “She was very excited and is a great Yankee fan.”
Murdoch, a graphics designer who lives on Sniffen Road, was the random winner in the contest that awarded a new car if a Yankees player “hit for the cycle.” The rare feat was accomplished by Melky Cabrera in Sunday’s game against the White Sox.
Murdoch was watching the game on television and only learned she had won the radio contest when informed by WestportNow. (See WestportNow Aug. 2, 2009)s
A WCBS reporter went to Murdoch’s house to interview her about her win and the report was heard on multiple WCBS broadcasts.
Murdoch told WCBS, “[Winning is] very surprising because the odds of having your name picked on top of somebody actually hitting the cycle is amazing. I mean it’s huge and I just would never have thought that I would be winning this.”
The WCBS report added: “Though Murdoch watched Cabrera hit the cycle from her home on Sniffen Road, she had forgotten she entered the contest. In fact, WestportNow, her hometown’s news and information source, told her she had won a 2009 Lexus.”
“Melky was doing the cycle and I was going ‘oh he might do it,’ and he actually did it,” Murdoch said. “But it never dawned on me about this contest. I totally forgot.”
Murdoch said Tim Scheld, WCBS news director, was the first CBS person to call her Monday afternoon to confirm the win and congratulate her. Later reporter Catherine Ciofi of WCBS interviewed her and put her photo on the WCBS Web page.
Murdoch said Waldman called her Monday afternoon and they spoke for about five minutes.
“She was very nice,” Murdoch said.
She said Waldman told her that during Sunday’s broadcast after reading Murdoch’s name as a potential “Hit for the Cycle” contest winner, Waldman threw the note with her name on it in the trash since “no one ever wins that one.”
Waldman said they then had to scramble to retrieve it once Cabrera completed the cycle in the ninth inning with a triple.
Waldman said to Murdoch: “How exciting that someone won.”
Murdoch said she was told that someone will get back to her later in the week to arrange delivery of the car.
Murdoch, who has yet to visit the new Yankee Stadium, was asked if there might be a chance to meet Cabrera. “Wouldn’t that be nice,” she said.
She added that she sent an e-mail to Cabrera on the fan site “thanking him for what he did.”
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—Dave Matlow contributed reporting for this story.
