Daniel Murphy joining Long Island Ducks for 2023 season
Daniel Murphy homered in five straight postseason games in 2015. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Mets fans nostalgic for 2015 will be able to, almost literally, travel back to the future this spring. Think of Fairfield Properties Ballpark in Central Islip, home of the Ducks, as the Delorean and manager Wally Backman as Doc Brown.
The Ducks announced the signing of former-Met and 2015 NLCS MVP Daniel Murphy Wednesday morning. The move sets up a potential opening day infield that will include Murphy and Ruben Tejada, who infamously had his leg broken after a Chase Utley slide in Game 2 of the 2015 NLDS. The Ducks signed Tejada in early February.
“This game is part of my soul, and my passion for playing grew as great as ever when I discovered certain things that I believe will enable me to be productive on the field again,” Murphy said in a statement. “I am immensely grateful to Mr. (Frank) Boulton, Wally Backman and (Ducks president and general manager) Michael Pfaff for allowing me to live my dream for a second time.”
Murphy, 37, announced his retirement in January, 2021 after playing 12-years in the big leagues with the Mets, Nationals, Cubs, and Rockies.
He was drafted by the Mets in 2006 and played seven seasons in Queens, capping his tenure with an electric playoff run where he hit home runs in five consecutive postseason games during the 2015 NLDS and NLCS — a major part of the Mets run to the NL pennant.
All told, Murphy slashed .288/.331/.424 with 62 home runs and 402 RBIs in his seven seasons with the Mets and made one All-Star team.
Following the 2015 postseason, Murphy signed a three-year, $37.5 million deal with the Nationals, where he made two All-Star teams in three years before being traded to the Cubs in the final season of his contract.
In 2016, his first season in Washington, Murphy slashed .347/.390/.595 with 25 home runs and 104 RBIs and finished second to the Cubs’ Kris Bryant in the NL MVP voting.
Murphy is one of the most high-profile signings in Ducks history, up there with Eric Gagne, Francisco Rodriguez, Edgardo Alfonzo, and Dontrelle Willis. The Ducks open April 28 in High Point, North Carolina. The home opener is scheduled for May 2 against Staten Island.
