Murphy family makes pair of $100K donations
DENVER -- Rockies first baseman Daniel Murphy and his wife, Tori, on Thursday hit a home run for Minor League players. On Friday, the Murphys took care of folks in need of food in the Rocky Mountain region.
The Murphys donated $100,000 to More Than Baseball and Our Baseball Life, organizations that offer services and support to Minor League players and their families. Then they gave another $100,000 to the Colorado Rockies Foundation as part of the #StayAtHomeOpener -- a fundraising drive for food needs in the Rocky Mountain region.
“My wife has been in touch with Our Baseball Life, and they revealed the need for Minor Leaguers and their families,” Murphy said Thursday about his donation for Minor Leaguers. “Once we found out More Than Baseball was already working on behalf of Minor Leaguers, we were able to quickly partner with them and donate to those in need.
“In these uncertain times, it’s humbling for us to be able to help those who are struggling.”
In a tweet, More Than Baseball described what the donation means. "The Murphy family’s $100,000 gift to the @mtb_org & @ourbaseballlife MiLB Family Assistance Fund will ensure that EVERY player supporting a child or family member will receive assistance #standwithmilb. You can support these players at buff.ly/3aHrcgk," they wrote.
MLB has announced it is extending financial support to Minor League players. At first the aid went from the halting of Spring Training until April 8, the original starting date of the Minor League season. This week the support was extended through May 31.
The Murphys became the latest around the Major Leagues to offer monetary backing for Minor League counterparts, joining Adam Wainwright and Shin-Soo Choo in recent charitable efforts.
According to Simon Rosenblum-Larson, director of player personnel for More Than Baseball and a Minor League pitcher for the Rays, the Murphys and Wainwrights have a shared financial firm, and this connection started the conversation. Both Major Leaguers also utilize the National Christian Foundation for giving.
"Both players wanted to do something to help out Minor League guys and they happened to share giving pathways," Rosenblum-Larson said. "Daniel wanted to give to a program to assist families and Wainwright wanted to help his Cardinals players."
On Friday, the Rockies compiled the best innings of home openers in club history and ran them as a "virtual" Opening Day telecast on Rockies.com and AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain. The event also served as a "Feed the Rockies" fundraiser. Donations were taken for food charities in Colorado and Wyoming, with the Colorado Rockies Foundation matching gifts up to $300,000.
During the event, the Rockies announced in a tweet that the Murphy family had given $100,000 for the foundation.