MLB debut for Red Sox prospect Chris Murphy tells a story that goes beyond baseball
BOSTON -- The Red Sox had another frustrating loss Wednesday night, falling to the Guardians in Cleveland for the team's fourth defeat in the last five games. But there was one bright spot on the mound for Boston.
That was lefty Chris Murphy, who made his MLB debut when he entered in relief in the bottom of the fifth. The 25-year-old was sharp out of the bullpen, tossing 3.1 shutout innings while allowing just two hits. Murphy was thrown right into the fire, entering the game with a runner on second and two outs and his team down by three runs.
Two pitches later, Murphy had recorded his first Major League out when he got Josh Naylor to ground out to shortstop to end the inning.
He logged his first strikeout to start the bottom of the sixth, getting Josh Bell swinging and missing at an 85 mph changeup. The next batter, Andres Gimenez, also sat down by way of the K, fanning on a nasty 88 mph slider from Murphy.
The southpaw struck out five hitters in his debut, which left manager Alex Cora impressed with Murphy's work.
"Excellent," said Cora, via RedSox.com. "That was cool to see. Good fastball, good breaking ball. We stretched him out. I'm glad he can say he's a big leaguer."
Murphy was a sixth-round pick by Boston in 2019 out of the University of San Diego. He had been starting for the Worcester Red Sox this season, but was happy to help the big league Sox in relief on Wednesday. Other than the different role, a lot was the same for the lefty, who didn't seem fazed on the mound.
"At one point yeah, it was like, 'Wow, I'm pitching in a Major League game,'" Murphy said after his debut. "Then, I'm like, 'It's 60 feet six inches, so everything's exactly the same.' Just a few more fans and some better hitters."
It helped that a handful of those fans were there specifically to see Murphy. His parents, his sister (who flew to Cleveland from Hawaii), and his girlfriend were at Progressive Field to catch Murphy's debut. None of them, however, got a special baseball from the occasion.
That was reserved for the mother of Murphy's late friend, Jessica, who died of cancer in 2012. Murphy considered Jessica a sister, and has "I play for Jessica" etched on the side of his glove.
Murphy was given a ball for the first out that he recorded in the Majors as well as his first strikeout after Wednesday's game. The former went to Jessica's mom.
"It was special having Jessica's mom here," he said. "She's never watched me play baseball, at least from as far as I can remember. She maybe watched me play in Little League, but she hasn't watched me play in a long time, so it was special that was she was there. It meant the world."
Murphy's first stint in the Majors wasn't a long one, as he's expected to be sent back to Triple-A to make way for Thursday's starter, Matt Dermody. And though Murphy turned some heads during his debut, it will be remembered as a story that goes well beyond the diamond.
