Sean Murphy’s Comeback Gets the Braves a Win Over Their Division Rival
On his way to a 7-5 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in his regular-season debut, Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy added some energy to the team's lineup. He hit a 1-0 fastball to left field in the bottom of the second inning to make it 3-1 Braves in his first at-bat of the season. He hit an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth to cut the deficit to one run, 5-4. With the previously mentioned home run and four RBIs, he went two-for-four at the end of the game. Chris Sale, the starting pitcher for the Braves, stated, "It just seemed like the game gravitated toward him today." "It's crucial for us that a guy like that returns this year."
During his significant comeback, manager Brian Snitker believed that Murphy's presence at the plate appeared to be steady. According to Snitker, "he had some really good at-bats." His posture and appearance were both excellent. Just having a seasoned man return is nice. Late in the game, the offense as a whole did the same. After Austin Riley doubled in the bottom of the seventh to drive in the game-winning run, Michael Harris II tied the score 5-5 with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth. On a wild pitch in the bottom of the eighth, Orlando Arcia scored an insurance run.
There must be some relief in getting off to a good start in 2025 given how his 2024 season went. Murphy had a slash line of.193/.284/.352 with 10 home runs and 25 RBIs in just 72 games played during the previous season. After recovering from an oblique injury that kept him out of action for two months at the start of the season, he never looked well. He also started slowly in Spring Training before suffering another injury. He was struck by a pitch and went down with a cracked rib after going hitless in six at-bats. The pressure was on with rookie catcher Drake Baldwin in the spotlight, and he returned to remind everyone of his All-Star personality.
The Braves have won two of their last three games and are at 2-8 on the season. Now that they've won twice, they're starting to resemble themselves. On Wednesday, they play game two of their series against the Phillies in an attempt to win their first series of the season. The first pitch is scheduled back at Truist Park at 7:15 p.m. EST.
