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<\/a>Daniel Murphy – “In the zone” in the post season.<\/p><\/div>\n
Last night (October 20), as the Met’s topped the Cubs 5-2 to take a 3-0 lead in the NLCS, \u00a0Mets’ second baseman Daniel Murphy<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0batted his way into the record books. Murphy homered into the center field bleachers at Wrigley Field – marking the record-tying fifth straight post-season game in which he has gone yard. \u00a0Murphy joins Carlos Beltran<\/strong> <\/span>(Astros, 2004) as the only two players to homer in five straight post-season contests. It was also Murphy’s sixth home run of the 2015 post-season, leaving him just two shy of the MLB single-post-season record – with plenty of games to go. \u00a0Murphy has touched up such some pretty good pitching in his run – including Zack Greinke<\/strong>, Clayton Kershaw<\/strong>,\u00a0Jake Arrieta<\/strong>, Jon Lester <\/strong>and Kyle Hendricks.<\/strong>. \u00a0Through his first eight games of the 2015 post season, Murphy is hitting .364, with six home runs, nine runs scored and nine RBI. How surprising are those numbers?\u00a0 In his seven regular seasons at the major league level, Murphy has hit a total of 62 home runs in 903 games, or about one every 14.5 games.\u00a0 (He did, however, hit a career high 14 in 130 games this past season.)\u00a0 If Murphy continues to rake, he has a good chance of reaching the all-time record for home runs in a single post-season of eight \u2013 held by Carlos Beltran<\/span> <\/strong>(Astros, 2004). Barry Bonds<\/strong><\/span> (Giants, 2002) and Nelson Cruz<\/strong><\/span> (Rangers, 2001).<\/p>\n Special note: The pet goat, denied entrance to Wrigley Field in 1945, and alleged to have been the force behind the “Cubs’ Curse” was named “Murphy.”<\/em><\/p>\n Beltran\u2019s eight-homer post-season, at least for BBRT, is the most impressive of the three eight-homer post-seasons. Bonds and Cruz both benefited from post-season runs that went all the way to the World Series, with both Cruz\u2019 and Bonds\u2019 eight long balls coming in 17 games (70 plate appearances for Cruz and 74 for Bonds).\u00a0 Beltran\u2019s Astros made it only as far as the NL Championship Series and he hit his eight homers in 12 games (56 plate appearances, 46 at bats). In those 12 post-season contests, Beltran hit .435, collecting 20 hits, 14 RBI, 21 runs scored (also the record for a single post-season), while tossing in nine walks and six stolen bases. \u00a0In the 2004 post season, Beltran homered in seven of the 12 games he played (including the previously noted five in a row). In the Astros’ six wins, Beltran went 14-for-23 (.609) with six home runs, 11 RBI and 14 runs scored. In the team\u2019s six losses, Beltran\u2019s line was .261 (6-for-23), with two homers, three RBI and seven runs scored \u2013 including an 0-for-5 with three strikeouts in a 4-2 loss to Atlanta in Game Two of the NLDS.<\/p>\n Schwarber also Shoots for the Record Books<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n While Daniel Murphy was garnering yesterday’s headlines, Cubs’ rookie C\/OF Kyle Schwarber homered his way into the post-season record books as well. Schwarber hit his fifth home run of the 2015 post-season – becoming the youngest player (at 22) to homer five times in a single post-season. Schwarber is just one short of the all-time rookie record of six HRs in a single post season (Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay, 2008), but time is running out on the Cubbies.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n With Murphy having already earned a spot in the post-season record bools, it seems like a good time to take a look at some of the single post-season marks this year’s crop of playoff participants will be shooting for. As you might expect, most of the records were set after the play offs were expanded to multiple rounds. \u00a0Current 2015 post-season leaders listed are as of the close of play on October 20.<\/em><\/p>\n For BBRT’s past look at World Series’<\/strong> single-game records, click here.\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0For even more on the World Series’ record book, click here.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>SINGLE POST SEASON RECORDS<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>Batting Average<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n .727 \u2026 Lloyd McClendon<\/strong><\/span> (Pirates, 1992); 8-for-11 over five games. The current 2015 post-season leader: the Dodgers\u2019 Justin Turner at .526. <\/em><\/p>\n Home Runs<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n 8 … Barry Bonds<\/strong><\/span> (Giants, 2002), Carlos Beltran<\/strong><\/span> (Astros, 2004), Nelson Cruz<\/strong><\/span> (Rangers, 2011) \u2013 Bonds and Cruz each hit their eight home runs in 17 games played, while Beltran launched his in 12 games. Current 2015 leader: the Mets’ Daniel Murphy at 6. <\/em><\/p>\n RBI<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n 21 \u2026 David Freese<\/strong> (<\/span>Cardinals, 2011) \u2013 in 18 games. Current 2015 post-season leaders: Royals’ Kendrys Morales and Eric Hosmer at 10. <\/em><\/p>\n Runs Scored<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n 21 \u2026 Carlos Beltran<\/strong><\/span> (Astros, 2004) \u2013 in 12 games. Current 2015 post-season leaders: Royals’ Ben Zobrist, Mets’ Daniel Murphy and Royals’ Alcides Escobar at 9.<\/em><\/p>\n Base Hits<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n 26 \u2026 Pablo Sandoval<\/strong><\/span> (Giants, 2014) \u2013 in 17 games. Current 2015 post-season leader: Royals’ Alcides Escobar at 15.<\/em><\/p>\n Total Bases<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n 50 \u2026 David Freese <\/strong><\/span>(Cardinals, 2011) \u2013 in 18 games. Current 2015 post-season leader: Mets’ Daniel Murphy at 31.<\/em>\u00a0 Note: Freese was the MVP of both the NL Championship Series and the World Series in 2011. In his 18 post season games, he hit .397 (25-for-63) with five home runs, eight doubles and one triple \u2013 driving in 21 runs and scoring 12.<\/p>\n Doubles<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n 8 … Albert Pujols<\/strong> <\/span>and David Freese<\/strong><\/span> (both Cardinals, 2011) \u2013 in 18 games. Current 2015 post-season leader: Dodgers\u2019 Justin Turner at six. <\/em><\/p>\n Triples<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n 4 … Tommy Leach <\/strong><\/span>(Pirates, 1903) \u2013 in eight \u00a0games. Note: In an eight-game World Series, Leach went 9-for-33, hitting two triples in game one, one in game four and one in game five. Current 2015 post-season leader: Royals\u2019 Alicides Escobar at two. <\/em><\/p>\n Walks<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n 27 \u2026 Barry Bonds (<\/strong><\/span>Giants, 2002) \u2013 in 17 games. Current 2015 post-season leaders: Blue Jays\u2019 Jose Bautista, Astros\u2019 Colby Rasmus and Mets’ David Wright at 7.<\/em>\u00a0 Note: Bonds was walked in 35 percent of his 2002 post-season plate appearances \u2013 and 13 of his 27 free passes were intentional<\/em><\/strong>. In his 45 at bats, Bonds hit .356 (16-for-45) with eight home runs and 16 RBI.<\/p>\n Stolen Bases<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n 11 \u2026 Rickey Henderson<\/strong><\/span> (A\u2019s, 1989) and Kenny Lofton<\/strong><\/span> (Indians, 1995). Henderson swiped 11 bags in 9 games, Lofton in 15 contests. Current 2015 post-season leader: Mets\u2019 Curtis Granderson at three. <\/em><\/p>\n Strikeouts<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n 26 \u2026 Alfonso Soriano<\/strong><\/span> (Yankees, 2003) \u2013 in 17 games. Current 2015 post season leader: Mets\u2019 Lucas Duda at 13.<\/em><\/p>\n Slugging Percentage<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n 1.727 \u2026 Lou Gehrig<\/strong><\/span> (Yankees, 1928) \u2013 in 11 at bats over four games. Note: Gehrig went 6-for-11 with a double and four home runs. Current 2015 post-season leader: Astros\u2019 Colby Rasmus at 1.176.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n