Daniel Murphy wins 2015 NLCS MVP after record-setting series

New York Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy continued his postseason to remember on Wednesday night, going 4-for-5 with a double and yet another home run in New York's pennant-clinching Game 4 win over the Chicago Cubs, and for his efforts was named National League Championship Series MVP.

In the four-game sweep, Murphy was 9-for-17 (.529) with four home runs, a double, six runs batted in and six runs scored. He homered in each game of the series, and dating back to the National League Division Series homered in six consecutive postseason games, breaking the major league record set by Carlos Beltran, then of the Astros, in 2004.

In Game 4, Murphy singled in the first inning, then singled and scored in the second. He added a double in the seventh inning, then for good measure launched a two-run shot off Fernando Rodney in the eighth.

In nine games this postseason, Murphy is hitting .421/.436/1.026 with seven home runs and two doubles in nine games, with 11 runs scored and 11 RBI.

This is the fifth trip to the World Series for the Mets and their first since 2000. Murphy is the first Mets position player to be named NLCS MVP. In 1986, New York beat the Houston Astros in six games to advance the World Series but Astros pitcher Mike Scott was named series MVP. In 2000, pitcher Mike Hampton won NLCS MVP with two wins and 16 scoreless innings against the St. Louis Cardinals.

In 1969 and 1973, the Mets' other NLCS wins, there was no MVP awarded, something that didn't come along until 1977.