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The Riverward’s Rocket


To the average American, job interviews are nerve-racking affairs. What do I wear? What will I say? Am I qualified enough? The answer to those questions all fall into the first impression you make on your potential future employer. Perform well and you will be rewarded. Drop the ball and it’s back to the drawing board. On Monday, March 24 one Fishtowner had the job interview of his dreams and left a first impression that could have major implications on his career.

Sean Murphy is a 25-year-old right-handed pitcher in the Oakland Athletics minor league baseball system. Standing at 6’ 6”, this 220-pound North Catholic alum with a fastball in the low-90s has been in the minors for three full seasons after being selected in the 33rd round of the 2010 draft. But last week, in a surprise Major League start against the Texas Rangers in Surprise, Arizona, Murphy went 4.1 innings, allowing 0 runs along with 1 hit, 3 strikeouts and 1 walk.

“This was my first shot to put my name out there and show people that I belong up there,” Murphy said. “I just want to do what I can to create that opportunity.”

Murphy was born and raised on Thompson and Palmer Streets in Fishtown. He went to grade school at St. Laurentius before graduating from North Catholic High School in 2006. Murphy began playing baseball for Fishtown AC where his father, Raymond, coached him and his older brother pushed him. After climbing through the Fishtown AC ranks, Murphy played for the Phillies RBI Junior and Senior squads, capturing an RBI World Series in 2007 at Dodger’s Stadium in Los Angeles.

After his youth career, Murphy spent time playing at several colleges—junior college stints in New Jersey; High Point, a Division I school in North Carolina; and finally Keystone College, a Division III school in La Plume, Pa. Despite not playing for one team consistently, Murphy consistently attracted the eyes of scouts, especially after a strong 2009 campaign at Keystone where he won 9 games, good for second highest single season total in school history.

After being drafted by Oakland, Murphy developed his game in the minors for a few seasons, splitting his 2012 season between Low-A Burlington and High-A Stockton before becoming one of the first pitchers to be promoted when there was movement in the upper levels of the Athletics’ system in 2013.

Even after his incredible rise from Fishtown AC to the Athletics 31st ranked prospect according to Scout.com, Murphy still had no idea that he was scheduled to start a big league game.

“The night before [the game] my buddy called me up,” Murphy recounted. “He saw on twitter that an Oakland Athletics beat writer posted a picture of the projected lineup for the next day. He said, ‘Hey Murph, I see you got the start, congratulations! Your hard work is paying off.’”

Murphy was taken aback by this news—he was under the assumption that he was scheduled to start in AAA instead. “And my buddy goes, ‘No, I’m pretty sure you’re the only Murphy in the Athletics organization.”

When Murphy arrived at the ballpark the following day, the first person he ran into was Bob Melvin, the manager of the Oakland Athletics.

“I said, ‘Hey, Bob, I’m Sean Murphy, great to be over here.’ He then said, ‘So I see you got the start today?’ I then looked at the wall and saw the official lineup with my name on it. It was very exciting.”

Murphy faced a fearsome Texas lineup that included Elvis Andrus, Prince Fielder, Adrian Beltre, Alex Rios and Mitch Moreland—stars that Murphy respected and revered throughout his life.

“I watched that lineup my whole life,” Murphy said. “I always admired how Prince Fielder swung the bat, he has some of the best pop in the league. Just watching that guy on TV growing up—that was really cool. Words can’t really explain it. It’s like all of my dreams were coming true.”

After some early jitters and control issues in his first inning, Murphy grinded out an extremely efficient and impressive performance—one that he dedicated to the recently deceased family dog, Zelda, for whom Murphy etched out a letter ‘Z’ in the mound as tribute.

After 4.1 innings of work, Murphy’s manger came out to the mound to relieve the young pitcher of his duties for the day.

“Bob Melvin came out and says, ‘Hell of a job, Murph. Hell of a job,’” Murphy said. “He told me ‘You can’t make a first impression the second time you come up here— you did what you had to do.”

So what’s next for Sean Murphy? After his impressive debut, should we expect to see more from The Riverward’s Rocket in the majors?

“It’s completely out of my hands, if I could tell you I’d tell you right now,” Murphy said. “I can control what I can control and that is the effort I put forth and everything that comes with that— pushing myself on a daily basis and trying to get better in everything I do on and off the field. I just need to get better everyday because being a major leaguer is being the best of the best.”

Regardless of how his career pans out long term, there is something to be said about a Fishtown kid out of a small Division-III college who strikes out Prince Fielder in the Majors.

“I’m here with a bunch of Division I players and top-10 rounder’s, but I don’t let that get to me, I put the blinders on,” Murphy said. “And I know that where I’m from. In the Fishtown area hard work pays off if you stay dedicated. There’s a certain pride that comes along from being from Fishtown and Philadelphia. I’ve always been competitive in what I do and have always had a sense of pride coming from where we come from. I don’t let things get to me, I’m not afraid to fail and I’m not afraid to try.”

You can keep up with Sean Murphy’s career by subscribing to him on MiLB.com.

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