On the first weekend of October, hundreds of people turned out to Shissler Field, despite damp and dreary conditions, to commemorate Fishtown’s Ace Sean Murphy. The field played host to the inaugural Sean Murphy Field of Dreams Fall Classic, a youth baseball tournament dedicated to the memory of the late Fishtown pitching legend.

  Murphy’s story is one of both inspiration and tragedy. A Fishtown native, Murphy rose through the youth pitching ranks before starring at North Catholic High School and later in the professional minor leagues with the Oakland Athletics organization. Unfortunately, his inspiring story ended in tragedy in April of this year. Murphy was well on his way back to a return to baseball following Tommy John surgery and a substance abuse suspension when he passed away tragically and suddenly.   

  He was found unresponsive and alone in his car in a parking lot in Phoenix, AZ and declared dead by paramedics on the scene. The cause of his death remained a mystery for months. In September, the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office finally reported that the cause of Murphy’s sudden death was “natural,” stemming from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a rare disease of the heart muscle.

  In the months since his tragic death, the Fishtown community has rallied behind the Murphy family, one of the most beloved fixtures in the neighborhood.

  “They were like the perfect family growing up. Like you would see on a TV show,” Billy Gorey said of the Murphys. Gorey largely attributes his success and the success of many of his friends in Fishtown to Ray Murphy, Sean’s father.

  “He’s the reason why most of us love baseball. He turned the baseball program around when we were kids,” Gorey said. He explained that his relationship with the Murphy family and the respect he has for Sean’s parents, Ray and Lorraine, were major factors in sparking his drive to keep Sean’s memory alive.

  Gorey and lifelong friend Dave Dougherty took the lead in planning a large-scale memorial event for Sean shortly after his death. When the idea for a youth tournament was floated, it seemed like a no-brainer to the duo, who both serve as local coaches.

  “We really wanted to make it about the kids, to put them at the center of it,” Dougherty said.

  The pair worked tirelessly to make the event something truly special. They spent hundreds of hours making connections, soliciting donations, and scrawling ideas in marble notebooks. Their hard work culminated in success, despite the unfavorable weather conditions over the weekend. There was festival atmosphere in and around Shissler Field all weekend long, with tee shirts, food, programs, and even a family-friendly block party at the Ukrainian Club.

  Three days of on-field competition ended with the 12-and-under Fishtown Aces team taking home the trophy, beating Roxborough 5-4 in a wild championship game.

  Away from the action on the field, the weekend was filled with raw, emotional moments. Before the first pitch on Friday night, Sean Murphy was immortalized in a pre-game ceremony. Hundreds of Fishtown locals lined the field to see the unveiling of a mural dedicated to Sean’s memory in right field. Artists John Gowling and Jeff Kilpatrick captured the three phases of Sean’s pitching career in vibrant color: from his youth ball days in Fishtown, to his career on the mound at North Catholic, and his debut in Minor League Baseball.

  Before the unveiling, Gorey told the crowd that he hopes future generations of Fishtown players will see the mural and ask about Sean’s story. When I asked Billy what he would tell kids about Sean, he didn’t hesitate to answer.

  “I would tell them he was kid just like any of us, a kid that came from Fishtown who just worked hard. It goes to show it doesn’t really matter where you’re from. If you work hard enough, the sky’s the limit. You can go wherever you want to,” he said.

  During the unveiling, local bagpiper Bear O’Driscoll played a stirring rendition of “Danny Boy” before young Bella Steinbrecher kicked things off with a goosebump-inducing performance of the “Star Spangled Banner.” On the mound, Dougherty presented Mr. and Mrs. Murphy with their son’s Oakland A’s jersey, framed and signed by the entire major league organization. It was an emotional moment that left few dry eyes around the field.

  Reflecting on the successful weekend, Gorey and Dougherty both said they plan on making it an annual event, expanding the tournament in the future to include more kids in different age groups. For now, they plan to reconvene in a few weeks to finalize a budget to renovate Shissler Field. They are currently in talks with the A’s organization to secure funding for the addition of dugouts at Shissler. Dougherty said they want to make the field a more welcoming place where kids can go to play organized ball and pick-up games on a regular basis.

  “When we were growing up, we could take a bag of balls and go play a pick-up game anywhere,” said Dougherty. “Now, neighborhood kids go to play at some of these fields and there is a padlock on the gate when they get there. We want to give them somewhere that is their own.”

  The renovations are just the first goal for a non-profit organization that Gorey and Dougherty have set up in Murphy’s name, the Sean Murphy Field of Dreams Foundation. Going forward, they hope to use the foundation as a vehicle to guide local kids on and off the baseball diamond.

  “We’re going to give a few scholarships to student athletes every year. And then if we could get involved with other local [organizations], anything with kids – mentoring kids, inspiring kids – we would like to be a part of that as well, representing Sean’s name,” Gorey said.

  For more information on the Sean Murphy Field of Dreams foundation, please visit www.FishtownsAce.com. •

THANKS FOR SUPPORTING SPIRIT NEWS!

Please follow this link to visit Amazon.com through our affiliate portal. It’s the same Amazon.com you know and love, but when you shop through this link we receive a small cut at no added cost to you!

By using this link to do your normal Amazon.com shopping, you’ll be supporting your local newspaper.