Mets' Murphy one tough out
Royals must find way to slow record-setting playoff slugger.
Daniel Murphy took a meaty cut, then motioned to the batting practice pitcher to throw one a bit outside.
“Please,” the New York Mets bopper added, politely.
Murphy promptly lined the next toss Monday into the right-field corner at Kauffman Stadium.
That’s how easy he’s making it look in real games, too.
So far, Murphy has invit- ed many of baseball’s top aces to his October bash — Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and Jake Arrieta among them.
Now, the Kansas City Royals hope to spoil his playoff party.
Murphy has homered in a record six straight postseason
games. He’ll take aim at Edinson Volquez and the Royals starting Tuesday night in the World Series opener. Murphy hit a career
best 14 home runs during the regular season, then launched seven more in the first two
rounds against the Dodgers and Cubs. He is one from matching the mark for most homers in a single postseason, shared by Barry Bonds, Carlos Beltran and Nelson Cruz.
“Superman? Oh, no, no,” he said before the workout. “Just a second baseman who’s trying to get a good pitch to hit.”
To Royals pitching coach Dave Eiland, that’s the crux of Murphy’s sudden power surge.
“He’s getting a lot of good pitches to hit, and he isn’t missing them,” Eiland said. “He’s right on them.”
Eiland has noticed something else.
“He looks very comfortable in the batter’s box — and I’ll leave it at that,” Eiland said. Hmmm. Told about Eiland’s comment, Royals pitcher Kris Medlen chuckled.
“Nobody’s going to hit anybody,” Medlen said. “But there are ways to get guys out. Coming in, going out, mixing it up.”
Medlen noted that last week against the Cubs, Murphy golfed a pitched that was barely a foot off the ground for a home run. It was the second-lowest pitch hit for a homer in the majors this year.
“He’s hitting everything,” Medlen said.
Murphy won the MVP award in the NLCS, going 9 for 17. Overall, he’s 16 for 38 (.421) in his first postseason, driving in 11 runs and scoring 11 in nine games. He’s doubled twice, walked once and struck out six times.
Regarded as a good contact hitter throughout his career, Murphy made some adjustments at the plate this year designed to get more power.
“Get your foot down in time and use your legs,” he summed up.
After hitting 62 home runs in 3,354 career at-bats, he’s connected seven times in 38 at-bats in becoming New York’s newest “Mr. October.”
The Royals already have thought about how to stop Murphy.
“We talked about in our advance meeting today how he stands on top of the plate, like Barry Bonds did,” manager Ned Yost said.