Murphy earns NLCS MVP for historic playoff run

New York Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy's record-setting run through the National League playoffs promises to secure him a big contract in the offseason, but in the meantime, he's earning everything that comes his way.

Murphy was named MVP of the NL Championship Series after homering in a record-breaking sixth straight playoff game during the Mets' series-sweeping victory over the Chicago Cubs. His 4-for-5 effort in Game 4 raised his eye-popping series slash line to .529/.556/.1.294 (9-for-17) with four homers, including one in each game, and six RBIs.

"I don't know, I wish I could explain it," Murphy said of his improbable streak during the MVP trophy presentation. "The coolest thing about this award is that we're going to the World Series as a ball club. Everyone should get a piece of this."

Murphy made history on a 1-1 pitch from Cubs reliever Fernando Rodney during the eighth inning, extending the Mets' commanding lead in Game 4 to 8-1. The two-run blast broke a tie with Carlos Beltran for most consecutive playoff games with a home run.

"Yeah, it's cool," Murphy said of his record. "Each one of those home runs has almost helped us try to win a ballgame. ... That is really exciting for me. To come into the playoffs where runs are at a premium, again, I can't explain why the balls keep going out of the ballpark, but they do. And we keep winning ballgames, which is the most important part and the coolest part."

(Videos courtesy: MLB.com)

Murphy leads all major leaguers with seven home runs and 11 RBIs this postseason. The seven homers represent a MLB playoff record for second basemen, and are one shy of the all-time mark held by Beltran (2004), Barry Bonds (2002), and Nelson Cruz (2011).

"I've see Barry Bonds in 2002 World Series, this was even better than that," Cubs manager Joe Maddon told reporters after the game.

Murphy, who went deep a career-high 14 times this season, has now homered off Rodney, Kyle Hendricks, Jon Lester, three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw (twice), and Cy Young candidates Zack Greinke and Jake Arrieta during his incredible postseason run.