Chipper Jones has been the gold standard for “Mets Killers” for almost 20 years. But now, Daniel Murphy is giving him a run for his money.
“Murph” got a hit in all 19 games he played against the Mets this season, as he batted .413/.444/.773 with seven homers and 21 RBI for the Nats this season.
These numbers put many of Chipper’s seasons against the Mets to shame. Jones batted .309/.406/.543 with 49 homers and 159 RBI in 245 career games against the Amazins’. And few of his season stats match what Murphy did this year.
Jones’ career high batting average against the Mets was .408, which he did over 13 games in 1996. Murphy wins in that department– and even more handily when you consider his .413 average came against a far superior Mets team. The 1996 Mets lost 91 games.
Murphy’s seven home runs against the Mets this season actually ties Chipper’s career high. Jones hit seven homers in 12 games against the Mets in 1999 while he batted .400/.510/1.000(!). There’s a reason why Jones named his son Shea. (For the record, Murphy’s seven homers against the Mets in 2016 are more than he had total in 2011 and 2012.)
The 2016 NL MVP frontrunner also has the RBI advantage. Jones’s career high came in 1999, when he had 16 RBI in 12 games in 1999. If Jones had more divisional matchups, he probably would have shattered this mark. And maybe every other baseball record, given how he always stayed the Mets. Jones also had 16 RBI in 16 games in 2011.
Chipper will always be known as the greatest Met killer in history, and for good reason: He batted over .350 against the team in seven seasons, and 32 homers and 105 RBI career 162 game average against the team. But if Daniel Murphy stays in the division for the foreseeable future, he might have something to say about it. Maybe Murph will end up naming his next child Citi Murphy.
If only he accepted that qualifying offer…
