Daniel Murphy was the difference in Game 5 of the NLDS between the Mets and Dodgers and helped send New York to the NLCS with his superior all-around play.
Murphy went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored in the team’s 3-2 win. He had an RBI double in the first, scored a run to tie the game in the fourth, and he delivered a solo home run to break the tie in the sixth.
What was special was what Murphy did to change the game. Murphy singled to lead off the fourth inning. Then with one out, Lucas Duda walked. The Dodgers had a defensive shift going on and nobody was covering third, so Murphy decided to take the base. He scored on a sacrifice fly by Travis d’Arnaud, who was the following batter.
And here was the big blow by Murphy off Zack Greinke — his third home run of the series:
Murphy had at least one hit in every game of the series. He also had a double and three home runs. And that’s how you carry a team in the playoffs.
