Daniel Murphy had hit just 62 home runs in a major-league career that's spanned seven seasons and 3,619 plate appearances.
Then the 2015 playoffs called.
Nine games, seven homers, and a National League Championship Series MVP award later, the 30-year-old looks like the new Mr. October.
Here are seven stats that show just how dominant Murphy has been as his New York Mets prepare for the World Series.
6 consecutive games with HR
Murphy's solo shot Wednesday beat the former record held by Carlos Beltran - who followed a two-home run performance in Game 5 of the 2004 NL Division Series with long bombs in the first four games of the NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals.
(Courtesy: MLB.com)
7 consecutive games with hit, RBI, run
If Murphy records a hit, RBI, and run in Game 1 of the World Series, he will have yet another postseason record all to himself. But for now he will have to settle for a tie with New York Yankees legend Lou Gehrig - who accomplished the feat across World Series wins in 1928 and 1932.
7 home runs in single postseason
Home run No. 7 moved Murphy past Chase Utley (2009) for the most by a second baseman in a single postseason, and inched him one behind the all-time record shared by Beltran (2002), Barry Bonds (2004), and Nelson Cruz (2011).
7 career postseason home runs
As incredible as his seven-homer performance this month has been, the mark puts him ahead of the career totals for a number of all-time greats who far surpass the 39 plate appearances Murphy has amassed in October.
| Player | AB | HR |
|---|---|---|
| Daniel Murphy | 39 | 7 |
| Hank Aaron | 74 | 6 |
| Ken Griffey Jr. | 79 | 6 |
| Paul Molitor | 132 | 6 |
| Mike Piazza | 133 | 6 |
| Prince Fielder | 185 | 5 |
| Buster Posey | 210 | 4 |
16 hits, 12 swings-and-misses
With at least four more games to be played, Murphy has already set a Mets record with 16 hits in a postseason, but even more impressive than that is the fact that he's only swung and missed 12 times across his 39 plate appearances.
1.462 postseason OPS
Of all players who have accumulated over 39 plate appearances in the playoffs, only three have managed an OPS better than Murphy in a single postseason - Bonds in 2002 (1.462), Beltran in 2004 (1.557), and Rickey Henderson (1.509) in 1989.
1.294 slugging percentage in NLCS
Murphy's slugging percentage against the Chicago Cubs set a new record for a four-game League Championship Series, but his mark barely beat that of Bob Robertson (1.250) who also hit four homers (including three in Game 2) in the 1971 NLCS as a member of the World Series champion Pittsburgh Pirates.
