In 1971, Murcer earned a raise to $35,000 and he ended the 1971 season with a career-high .331 batting average, good for second in the AL. He led the American League in on-base percentage (.427) and times on base (266), and came in second in slugging percentage (.543) and runs (94), fourth in RBIs (94) and walks (91), fifth in intentional walks (13), and tenth in home runs (25). Murcer was seventh in MVP voting and was voted to the "Sporting News" All-Star team. On June 2, Murcer hit two home runs and "made a spectacular shoestring catch off Rico Petrocelli in the first inning to rob the Red Sox of a run" in a Yankee win over their perennial rival Boston. On July 25, Murcer hit a pinch-hit grand slam in a win against the Milwaukee Brewers, the first of his seven career grand slams.