OAKLAND — A’s manager Bob Melvin summed up Sean Murphy’s first major league game pretty succinctly.
“Hit a homer, catch a shutout,” Melvin said. “Not a bad start.”
Murphy, the top position prospect in the A’s organization, made a memorable debut in Oakland’s 4-0 win over the Los Angeles Angeles on Wednesday night.
“I think he’ll probably tell you he’s as proud of the shutout as he is of the homer,” Melvin said.
Asked what he’ll remember about the night 50 years from now, the 24-year-old catcher said, “Probably the shutout.”
A crowd of just 12,957 watched as Murphy launched a 95 mph fastball by Angels reliever Jake Jewell 409 feet over the right-center field fence in his second at-bat in the fifth inning.