On Saturday 8 July, Oakland Athletics managed to beat the Houston Astros with a score of 3-2. In this match, Zach Logue and Sean Murphy played a crucial role in saving the A’s and achieving the win.
A’s manager Mark Kotsay was satisfied with his team’s performance. “We managed to get the win and really did it. We took advantage of their mistakes and put in a good game,” he said.
Logue, Murphy’s contribution to A’s win
Logue hit five innings with three strokes to give the Astros their second loss in 12 games. The left-handed pitcher allowed two runs and recorded his last 10 strokes in the second half.
The 26-year-old said he had done a decent job of avoiding falling behind. “I just try to keep executing and get the team through five or six innings,” he said.
The game displayed by Logue reaped praise from the manager. Kotsay applauded him as he had followed the team’s direction and was able to play with focus.
Kotsay said, “He did a great job today giving us five innings.”
Besides Logue, Murphy also contributed to A’s victory against the Astros at the O.co Coliseum. In the match, Murphy scored two strokes and made a head-up running play to score a first-run A from Valdez.
The 27-year-old catcher also opted to lead the innings and went home with Seth Brown’s chopper in front of the plate. Murphy was able to run around Martin Maldonado at third base and glide with his left hand over the plate.
Murphy explained that in that match, Oakland took full advantage of the back-end power and his team had done an excellent job. He said, “They have all come and done their job very well.”
Logue’s skill set, records
The Toronto Blue Jays recruited Logue in the ninth round of the 2017 MLB draft. During his time with the Blue Jays, he was able to score a 1.47 ERA in 12 combined appearances.
In 2018, he spent time with Single-A Lansing Lugnuts and High-A Dunedin Blue Jays. Logue managed a 12-4 record and 3.15 ERA with 129 strikeouts in 154.1 innings over 27 games.
Then, in 2019 he was with Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats and Triple-A Buffalo Bison. At that time, Logue had a record 4.14 ERA with 83 strikeouts and 104.1 innings in 20 games.
After missing 2020’s games due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Logue started the 2021 season with New Hampshire with a 12-4 and 3.67 ERA record, 144 strikeouts, and 125 innings in 25 games.
The Blue Jays acquired Logue in a trade in March 2022, allowing him to demonstrate his abilities. Logue’s power to use his fastball and the pace of his movement to make his throws appear quick and excellent is regarded as one of his best performances.
Murphy’s record in MLB
Murphy made his MLB debut in September 2019 with the A’s. In the 2020 season, Murphy mostly served as a catcher in 43 games. At that time, he was able to hit 0.233 with seven home runs and 14 RBI. Furthermore, in 2021 he was awarded his first Golden Glove Award.
Initially, Murphy was only known for his defensive power. Now, however, he is also widely regarded as a great defender who attacks for strength and multiplies the power through a contact-oriented approach on the plate.