Sean Murphy Shines in Big Offensive Night From Braves Catchers

One night after using small ball to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the series opener, the Atlanta Braves supplied the power on Wednesday night. In a game that ended with a Ha-Seong Kim walk-off single, it was Atlanta’s catching duo that did much of the work to set the stage for the big finale.

Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy combined to go 6-for-8 with three doubles, a home run and three RBIs. The round-tripper came courtesy of Murphy in the sixth inning, his first of the season. This performance was a particular breath of fresh air for Murphy, who has missed 119 games with injury this season. Additionally, Murphy was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle.

The best way to describe the night delivered by the catchers is that one was typical, Baldwin, while the other was a long time coming, in the case of Murphy. Heading into the game, he was batting .136 with a .315 OPS. The game was enough to boost those to a .188 average and a .495 OPS.

Sometimes, the man who made waves in 2023 returns in flashes.

"Yeah, let's not forget about Murph," manager Walt Weiss said to the media after the game. "Another one that's been - as missed a bunch of time. Been a difficult year for him. But, you know, all of us have seen Murph really good. He was starting catcher in the All-Star Game a few years ago. So, we know what's in there."

Murphy started the season on the injured list recovering from hip surgery, and then missed another couple of months with a left finger fracture. He's missed at least one month of play over the last three seasons. Much of the focus has been on healing rather than hitting.

Manager Walt Weiss also indicated that Murphy is slated to catch for a significant portion of the remaining regular season, with Baldwin continuing to serve as the designated hitter. Along with getting his usual high-caliber performance behind the dish, this will allow Murphy to see regular action, which could help him regain his rhythm at the plate in time for the postseason.

"I always talk about the guys who miss a chunks of time and how difficult that is, especially if you do it for multiple years, ansd consecutive years," Weiss said. "It's really difficult. So yeah, both Kim and Murph are dealing with that type of stuff."

If Sean Murphy can stay healthy, the Braves expect their backstop duo to provide a boost offensively as they look to make a serious run at a World Series title in 2026.

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