Alvarez bests father-in-law Murphy with walk-off

PITTSBURGH -- At some point this offseason, perhaps sitting at the dinner table during the holidays, Padres interim manager Pat Murphy might think about this loss and smile.

But that grin probably won't spread quite as wide as the one that stretched across his son-in-law's face Monday night at PNC Park. That's because Pedro Alvarez, Murphy's son-in-law, dealt the decisive blow in the Pirates' 2-1 walk-off win over the Padres.

"Well, I'll be able to look back and laugh if in fact things go really well in the next three months," said Murphy, whose daughter, Keli, married Alvarez in 2011. "It's one of those things, where you're in this situation, you've got family on the other side, but it's a baseball game."

Video: SD@PIT: Alvarez delivers walk-off single in the 9th

And Alvarez won Monday night's game by swatting a full-count pitch from Brandon Maurer back up the middle with two outs in the ninth inning, driving in Andrew McCutchen and beginning a raucous Pirates celebration near second base.

At that point, Alvarez and his father-in-law experienced wildly different emotions.

"It's a really cool feeling. It's something that, as a kid, you always think about doing, walking-off the game," Alvarez said. "Obviously love seeing the guys coming out of the dugout and rushing you."

And how did Murphy feel watching his son-in-law line the game-winning hit against his team?

"You really can't compare it to anything. You don't really know how to feel," Murphy said. "Your team didn't win, so you're kind of thinking about your own team right now. Pedro's going to be fine, whether that ball got caught or whether it didn't. ... I was hoping we'd catch it and play the 10th."

Alvarez said he wasn't thinking about the man on the top step of the visitors' dugout, but later acknowledged how unique the situation must be.

"I guess when you do sit down and think about it, it's different," Alvarez said. "But between the lines, you just always focus on the task at hand."

Before the game, Murphy raved about Alvarez's character, saying he "couldn't have a finer man married to my daughter."

"Pedro's a wonderful person, and I couldn't think of a better role model for my son," Murphy said before the game, referring to his 14-year-old son, Kai. "He's been great to have as a part of the family. ... He's more than I could ever ask to take care of Keli the way he does, and share our family."

But the question remains: Who was Keli cheering for Monday night?

"We haven't spoken about it. She better be rooting for her husband," Murphy said before the game. "The old man is going to be OK."

Added Alvarez: "You'd have to ask her, I guess."