Costly Error Leads To Role Reversal For Mets Postseason Hero Daniel Murphy
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- For a month, most everything Daniel Murphy touched seemed to turn out great for the Mets.
It's what he didn't touch -- or barely nicked, at best -- that dearly cost him and his team in Game 4 of the World Series.
Web Extra: Guide To Citi Field | Best Eats At Citi Field | Best Bars In NYC To Watch Mets In World Series
The second baseman let a grounder get under his glove in the eighth inning and the Kansas City Royals quickly pounced for three runs, beating the Mets 5-3 Saturday night to take a 3-1 lead.
"There's no way to describe it. It hurts when you feel like you got a direct hand in a ballgame," Murphy said.
"I didn't do the job. That's the most frustrating thing," he said.
Murphy came into the World Series on a tear, having homered in a record six straight postseason games. The NL Championship Series MVP had also made every play in the field, belying his reputation as a boxy fielder and boosting his value as a free agent-to-be.
Since then, Murphy has severely struggled. He's just 3-for-17 at the plate, with only singles.
The error, though, really wrecked him and the Mets.
Down 3-2, the Royals put runners on first and second with two outs in the eighth. After closer Jeurys Familia relieved, Eric Hosmer hit a chopper toward a charging Murphy -- it was hit too slowly for a double play, and his lone option was getting one out at first.
PHOTOS: World Series Game 4
Instead, his glove came up and the ball stayed down. The sellout crowd at Citi Field gasped as it rolled into right field as Ben Zobrist raced home with the tying run.
Mike Moustakas followed with a go-ahead single and, with the fans sitting in stunned silence, Salvador Perez singled for an insurance run.
"It's part of the game," Familia said. "For me, I just try to be focused, try to get another ground ball, try to forget. Because Murphy, he's one of the best players we have here."
"It just happens," he said.
Rather than evening the Series, the Mets now need to win three in a row. Game 5 starts at 8:15 p.m. Sunday at Citi Field.
"We're down 3-1,'' Murphy said Saturday night. "We've got to get ready for tomorrow. I know it's cliche, but we've been in every game. The mistakes like the mistake I made tonight? That's a good club and they make you pay for it. I wish I would've caught it.''
Murphy got a hit in the ninth but with two on, Lucas Duda hit a soft liner that Moustakas caught, and the third baseman's throw across the diamond doubled off Yoenis Cespedes to end it.
"Daniel Murphy didn't lose this for us. This was a collective team loss," Mets third baseman David Wright said. "There was dozens of things we could've done better in this game to win this game. They way that Daniel Murphy's been playing, the way that he's put this offense on his back at times, Daniel Murphy did not lose this game. We lost this game as a team."
(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
