Daniel Murphy Ties Mets Record Playing Hero Once Again vs. Cubs

By Kenneth Teape | Oct 18, 2015

Daniel Murphy has gone all season hearing all of the superhero nicknames given to his teammates throughout the season. The New York Mets have the Dark Knight in Matt Harvey, Thor in Noah Syndergaard, Captain America in David Wright to name a few. It would seem that Murphy wants a nickname as well, as he was the hero once again for the Mets, coming up huge against the Chicago Cubs in Game 2 of the NLCS.

More Mets Coverage: Post Game Recap From Game 2 vs. Cubs

Faced with another tough assignment in trying to hit Jake Arrieta, the Mets knew that they would have to get to him early if they were to have a chance to take a 2-0 lead in the series. Arrieta had been dominant the second half of the season, with his last loss coming July 25th. He had an ERA of 0.43 in August, and followed it up with 0.45 in September and six shutout innings against the Milwaukee Brewers in his only regular season start in September.

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He carried those strong performances over to the postseason, as Arrieta shut down the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NL Wild Card game, throwing a complete game shutout. He struggled a little bit against the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS, giving up four runs through 5 ⅔ innings but he still was able to get the win.

None of that mattered to Murphy, who treated Arrieta as nicely as he treated Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke in the NLCS. Murphy came into the game with a home run in three straight games, adding Jon Lester to his hit list in Game 1 victory. Arrieta can now be added to that list.

After Curtis Granderson led the game off with a single, David Wright knocked him in with a deep double into centerfield. Murphy would then provide what looked like a big blow, but the ball hooked foul past the pole in right field. He didn’t miss on his next swing though, as Murphy launched a ball into the right field seats to give the Mets a 3-0 lead.

That provided the Mets with all the run support they would need. They got Syndergaard a lead early, and he made the most of it. He threw 5 ⅓ strong innings, striking out nine while giving up only three hits, one walk and one run. He was afforded that luxury because of the damage Murphy did at the plate.

Murphy again led the way for the Mets at the plate. In a game they were able to only muster five hits and two walks, Murphy was responsible for three of them. He was issued an intentional walk in the third inning, and singled in the eighth. The only time the Cubs were able to get him out was in the fifth inning when Arrieta struck him out.

If the Cubs do not figure out a way to do that more often, they could be staring at a quick exit from the NLCS. Murphy now has a home run in four straight games, and can tie the record for consecutive games with a home run in Game 3 at Wrigley Field. Carlos Beltran currently holds that record from his 2004 playoff tear with the Houston Astros.

Murphy also tied the Mets record for home runs in a single playoffs with his fifth of the postseason. Will he be able to set these records? It would seem like a bad idea to bet against Murphy right now, as he is on another level this postseason.

Next: What was the most impactful trade made by the Mets in the last 20 years?

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