The Orioles knew they had something special at Double-A Asheville in 1975, even if Eddie Murray wasn't showing it at the plate.

He was 19 then, and the accolades were already piling up, so this hardly seemed like the time for drastic measures or new tricks.

Jimmie Schaffer, the Asheville manager that season, watched Murray struggle for four months as a right-handed hitter before suggesting he experiment with switch-hitting. Other Orioles officials thought Schaffer was nuts.

They had seen Murray blister baseballs from the right side in previous years, so they flocked to Asheville to stop the experiment in its tracks. Murray looked at each of them with those steely eyes and told them he'd be fine.

He wanted to try this, too.

Reluctantly at first, the Orioles let it happen and watched Murray blossom into one of the greatest switch-hitters in baseball history. Yesterday, he became the 38th first-ballot player elected into the Hall of Fame.

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If Schaffer felt any extra satisfaction upon hearing the news, it was knowing he played a big role at a pivotal moment in Murray's career. It was knowing he stuck to his gut feeling, even if it meant risking his own job.

"It was a tough fight for Eddie and myself, until everybody started believing it," Schaffer said. "It's quite rewarding to see a guy like that go into the Hall of Fame."

Murray was a lock to make it from the moment he retired after the 1997 season. He was on 85 percent of the ballots (423), and it takes just 75 percent to get elected.

Along with Hank Aaron and Willie Mays, he is one of only three players to reach two of baseball's most revered offensive plateaus -- 3,000 hits and 500 home runs. No other switch-hitter can claim that achievement, not even Mickey Mantle (2,415 hits, 536 home runs).

Showing remarkable consistency, Murray played 21 seasons in the big leagues, winning three Gold Glove Awards at first base and leading the Orioles to the World Series in 1979 and 1983.

For those who saw Murray before that fateful summer of 1975, there's little doubt he would have been a star had he continued batting strictly right-handed. But would he have made the Hall of Fame?

"That's a darn good question," said Dave Ritterpusch, the Orioles' scouting director from 1973 to 1975. "I think it was a brilliant move making him a switch-hitter."

Ritterpusch oversaw the Orioles' 1973 draft and picked Murray in the third round out of Locke High in Los Angeles. He said the Orioles were fortunate to get Murray so low, especially considering Murray was just 17 when he graduated from high school.

"It was apparent that the rest of the industry suspected he didn't have the drive," Ritterpusch said. "We used psychological profiles for everybody, and in Eddie's case we found that he had tremendous emotional control. He had a lot of drive, but it was masked by his emotional control."

Ritterpusch figures it was that ability to stay cool that helped make Murray one of the greatest clutch players in the game. With the bases loaded, Murray hit better than .400 for his career.

After winning Appalachian League MVP honors at Rookie-level Bluefield in 1973, Murray led the Florida State League in total bases the following year at Single-A Miami. But in 1975, his progress hit a snag at Asheville.

Like mothers with their chicken soup, Schaffer had a remedy for hitters who were struggling. He would pull them aside for early batting practice, and have them take a few swings from the other side of the plate.

Even if that was awkward, it helped them feel more comfortable once they returned to their natural side.