HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610)- When Penn Murfee's agent told him to buckle his seat belt it had nothing to do with the drive he took this week across the state of the Florida to get to the Astros complex in West Palm Beach, FL after he was claimed off waivers.
That was the message the right-hander got after he was designated for assignment by the Seattle Mariners in October after undergoing Tommy John Surgery on July 5, starting an offseason that saw him on the move between three different organizations.
"I just prayed and made sure that I was in a good spot spiritually and mentally and physically. and I was just ready for whatever," Murfee said Friday.
Murfee was claimed by the New York Mets on Halloween, and then two weeks later he was claimed off waivers by the Atlanta Braves, who he spent spring training with, only to be placed on waivers this week.
The Astros claimed him on Wednesday, and after driving from the Braves complex in North Port, FL to West Palm Beach, Murfee was on a flight to Houston Thursday morning, arriving in time to take the line with the rest of his teammates before their opening day loss to the Yankees.
"That's just part of the job we have, and I was just thankful to be able to stand and hear our national anthem and hear the Astros fans going crazy."
A 33rd round pick by the Mariners in 2018, Murfee has a 2.70 ERA in 80 Major League games with a 28 percent strikeout rate. The plan is for him to continue his rehab in Houston. He started throwing on January 5, and on Friday he made 25 throws at 120 feet, but he wouldn't reveal when he thinks he'll be ready to pitch on a big league mound again.
"I have a calendar date circled, but I think the main thing is I can't help when I'm sub 100 percent, so I think the main focus is just doing what I need to do day-by-day, make sure that I can come back healthy and help a winning ball club."
Murfee is quite familiar with the Astros from pitching against them 10 times over the last two seasons. Only 8-of-49 hitters he faced in the regular season reached base, and he allowed just one run over 14 innings, but he surrendered the home run to Jeremy Peña in the 18th inning of the Astros win in game three of the ALDS.
"I'm happy I don't have to face this lineup, but it's awesome. Everyone here has been super welcoming. It's a winning culture, and you can tell there's a lot of gamers in the clubhouse."
The 29-year old has less than two years of service time under his belt, so he's under team control for at least the next four seasons. He also has three option years remaining.
