CHICAGO -- Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy homered for the fifth consecutive postseason game Tuesday, tying the major league record.
Murphy drove a 2-1 pitch from Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks into the bleachers in right-center with two outs in the third inning of Game 3 of the National League Championship Series. The Mets went on to win 5-2 and take a 3-0 lead in the series.
Murphy's tiebreaking solo shot was his sixth homer this postseason, which broke Mike Piazza's Mets franchise career record. Carlos Beltran also homered in five consecutive postseason games, for Houston in 2004.
"I wish I could explain it," Murphy said. "I would have done it like six years ago. I can't explain it."
Murphy hit a career-high 14 home runs this season. The homers during his playoff streak have come against Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Jon Lester, Jake Arrieta and Hendricks.
"I've watched a lot of baseball over the years; I don't think I've seen anybody put on this kind of a show on this stage like he has so far," manager Terry Collins said. "I mean, even the guys in the dugout, they're baseball guys, too, and they're saying the same thing."
The free agent-to-be second baseman has hit just 62 homers in 3,354 at-bats in the regular season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.