Centerville grad hits home run in second appearance of season for A’s

“I think he was probably sitting on that pitch,” A’s manager Bob Melvin told MLB.com. “The thing about Murph is you’re always going to get good defense. He’s going to be a good power hitter. But you’re always one swing away from multiple runs with him. He’s about as strong as anybody and can hit the ball as far as anyone on our team. All it takes for a guy like him is one pitch, and that was a big run for us.”

The A’s opened the season by winning two of three games against the Angels. Murphy started the season opener Friday and went 0-for-1 with a walk.

Murphy hit a home run in his big-league debut last September. He hit .245 with four home runs in 20 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. He was a third-round draft pick in 2016.