Centerville grad, Wright State standout Murphy hits first postseason home run

Sean Murphy, a Centerville High School graduate and former Wright State standout, hit his first postseason home run Thursday.

Murphy’s two-run home run in the fourth inning started a comeback from a 3-0 deficit for the Oakland Athletics, and they went on to beat the Chicago White Sox 6-4 to win the series 2-1.

“That was huge,” pitcher Liam Hendriks told reporters after the game. “We were cheering and screaming, doing whatever we could. It felt like Sean rewarded us for that cheering. Getting those first two runs on the board was a game-changer. You never know how it’s going to go, but having a one-run deficit makes it a lot easier to pull off.”

The A’s won a postseason series for the first time since 2006 and will play the Houston Astros in the American League Division Series, which starts Monday at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. All series in the last three rounds of the playoffs will be played at neutral sites.

Murphy, a third-round draft pick in 2016, made his big-league debut with the A’s in 2019 and hit .245 with four home runs in 20 games. This season, he hit .233 with seven home runs and 14 RBIs in 43 games.

Murphy was the Horizon League Freshman of the Year in 2014 and had a .309 career average with 14 homers and 105 RBIs in 155 games in three seasons at Wright State.