ANAHEIM — After spending parts of three consecutive seasons at Double-A, Luke Murphy finally was promoted to Triple-A last season.
It didn’t turn out to be the celebration he had hoped. But it did prove to be a valuable lesson.
“I went through a lot,” Murphy said. “Some very tough times. But I was able to go back down and figure some things out. I grew as a player. I think that’s the best thing that could have ever happened to me.”
Murphy reflected on his journey on Friday, his first day as a major leaguer. The 26-year-old right-hander earned a promotion after posting a 0.71 ERA at Double-A.
He was shipped back to Double-A Rocket City after getting knocked around to the tune of a 12.24 ERA in his 23-game nightmare at Triple-A Salt Lake.
“I had a self-reflection after last season,” Murphy said. “I was like, ‘I got to do something different.’ Just added a two-pitch mix, added a cutter, brought my bigger breaking ball back, added a splitter. Just having a little bit bigger of an arsenal. Just trying to take care of my body, staying healthy. I’ve been feeling great this year. Just trusting my stuff.”
The opportunity for him to get to the major leagues presented itself when the Angels traded right-hander Chase Silseth to the Texas Rangers on Wednesday. That night, Murphy got the news that he was coming to the majors.
“I put my head down and started bawling,” Murphy said. “It was something I was looking forward to for quite some time.”
Murphy, who was the fourth-round pick in the Angels’ all-pitcher draft in 2021, made an impression on Angels manager Kurt Suzuki during spring training. He kept an eye on him throughout his season at Double-A.
“He’s having a tremendous season,” Suzuki said. “I check the game reports every night. Every time he pitches, it’s closing games out and dominating and stuff. He’s had a really nice season. He’s very deserving of this. I’m really excited to see him.”
KIKUCHI’S DAY
Left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, who is working his way back from shoulder inflammation, pitched at Class-A Rancho Cucamonga on Thursday night.
He gave up six runs, including three homers, in three innings.
There was an asterisk to the performance, though. Kikuchi said he wanted to call his own pitches, but they don’t use the PitchCom at any minor league level below Triple-A. Kikuchi said if he would have just kept shaking off the catcher until he got what he wanted, he would have used up too much time on the pitch timer.
So Kikuchi came up with a rudimentary set of signals to give the catcher to let him know what pitch was coming.
The hitters figured it out quickly.
“I heard the voices from their dugout,” Kikuchi said through his interpreter. “They knew everything.”
Kikuchi said he didn’t care about the results. He was happy with his stuff and his velocity. He reached 97 mph with his fastball.
“I feel nothing in my shoulder now,” Kikuchi said.
His next start will be next week at Triple-A. He said earlier this week that he is hoping to be ready to return to the majors after three minor league games.
NOTES
Catcher Sebastian Rivero (fractured hamate) and infielder Adam Frazier (elbow) are both continuing to play at Rancho Cucamonga. …
Right-handed reliever Ben Joyce (shoulder surgery) pitched on Thursday night at Triple-A. He gave up two runs and didn’t get through a full inning. He threw 21 pitches, with an average fastball of 100.6 mph, and reported feeling good.
UP NEXT
Brewers (LHP Robert Gasser, 3-4, 4.71 ERA) at Angels (RHP José Soriano, 9-6, 3.29 ERA), Saturday, 6:38 p.m., ABTV, 830 AM