I haven't broken it to Joshua yet (or Emily), but an hour or so ago I decided the boy is being renamed. From now on he's Daniel Fry. Daniel Murphy Fry. Actually, he's Daniel Murphy Johan Brian Carlos David Luis Fry, but Daniel will cover it.
Murphy — the otherwise inevitable “Murph” doesn't seem to fit a kid who insists he's Daniel, not Dan — started his Met life as a cult hero: He went 10 for his first 20, a streak that was clearly unsustainable. But he also showed us that he could work a count and make contact, and demonstrated a welcome seriousness of purpose (there's that “Daniel,” again), all of which suggested it might sustain him when he inevitably regressed to the mean.
Regress to the mean? He regressed to the cruel, to the vicious, to the pitiless, riding an 0-for-13 streak into tonight's game, which only meant more than any other game in his young professional life. Struck out looking in the second on a tough 3-2 pitch, failing to move Ryan Church along from second with nobody out. (Church would of course be marooned at third.) Lined out in the fourth, the inning in which no hit would fall. Hit into a double play in the sixth. Played a Pat Burrell liner into a double to start off the Phils' sixth, the inning that would show Johan Santana at his hold-the-line finest. And then, stuck on 0-for-16, he walked to the plate in the eighth inning of a tie game. On the mound? Just Brad Lidge, he of the lethal fastball and slider, he who was somehow invulnerable this year despite his home park being the size of a Pinto.
Was Daniel Murphy scared? When you know the strike zone and can make contact and have made a specialty of meaning business with a bat in your hands, you're not scared. And this was the night — finally! — for the Phils' bullpen to regress to the mean. Lidge unleashed a slider that flattened out instead of biting, and was redirected at high velocity down the right-field line. It meant the go-ahead run. It meant the continuing heroics of Carlos Delgado wouldn't go to waste. It meant we could all forget (as best we can) about seven-run leads that turned into nothing. It meant I let out a war whoop in the New Jersey night. And tomorrow it'll mean I go to breakfast here on LBI on a sunny day with my Met shirt on and a big smile for the Phillie fans who had big smiles this morning. Because, of course, it meant first place.
And where's our Anonymous Phill phan phriend this morning?
Why, acting like a typical Philly (all sports) phan: stir up the shit, then go hide like a welp when it backfires on you.
“started his Met life as a cult hero: He went 10 for his first 20, ”
– Reminds of the way Ron Swoboda first came up in 1965 minus the power. After the first 15 games of the season he was hitting .346 with a multitude of home runs. After 40 games he was still hitting .291.
“0-for-13 streak into tonight's game, which only meant more than any other game in his young professional life. Struck out looking in the second on a tough 3-2 pitch, failing to move Ryan Church along from second with nobody out. (Church would of course be marooned at third.) Lined out in the fourth, the inning in which no hit would fall. Hit into a double play in the sixth. Played a Pat Burrell liner into a double to start off the Phils' sixth, ”
– Reminds me of Ron Swoboda after 80 games, with his average dipping to .245. Dick Young had written that Swoboda “hits homers with his bat and triples with his glove”.
“stuck on 0-for-16, he walked to the plate in the eighth inning of a tie game. On the mound? Just Brad Lidge, he of the lethal fastball and slider, he who was somehow invulnerable this year despite his home park being the size of a Pinto. Lidge unleashed a slider that flattened out instead of biting, and was redirected at high velocity down the right-field line”
– This is where the resemblence ends!
I've been having to watch the Phillies broadcasts, stupid MLB.tv and let me tell you, they are inferior. I like their play-by-play guy's voice, but they make a lot of mistakes, calling Cody Ross David (he's in our division!), blatantly contradicting the readings their own radar gun flashes. It's just not enjoyable.
Gotta love the Murph. His remarks in the paper this morning were great: He was looking for a slider before there were two strikes — otherwise he'd get “the slider you see on TV.” Brilliant.
Scared?! Never happen. Daniel Murphy doesn't know the meaning of the word. Dude's unflappable. Thank you, baseball gods.
Daniel Fry has a great ring to it , like a Pirate , except of course he would be a Met.
I really like how Manuel started Murphy last night when maybe I was expecting Tatis to start.
Late inning offensive? You mean games go 9 innings and don't end after just the first inning?
That's crazy talk.