April 26, 2014, Bronx, N.Y. — Following a pitching and offensive breakdown the night before, the Yankees pulled off a taut 4-3 win over the visiting Angels Saturday afternoon on what will have to pass for a nice day, at least until something better comes along. The sun peeked out, the temps flirted with (not sure they ever reached, though) 60, and the rain held off most of the day.

More of a surprise than bearable conditions, though, was who was the Yankee star of the game. Here’s a hint, a poser we’ll answer later: What do current backup catcher John Ryan Murphy and Roger Maris have in common?

Following a crushing loss, the home team was clearly nervous to trot out former independent league player, southpaw Vidal Nuno, for the second time as their fifth starter. And Mike Trout’s sixth home run of the year with one down in the first did nothing to settle anyone’s nerves. That DH Albert Pujols, off his 501st career home run the night before, followed with the first of two sharp singles he slashed right through the Yanks’ overshifted infield, did not help.

What did help, however, was a somewhat less than bombastic “Bombers” three-run rally that gave them a lead in the second. A hit-by-pitch, infield single, four-pitch walk, and balk tied the game with one down and, one out later, Murphy’s (spoiler alert, he was the star of the game, or at least one of them) two-run single gave the Yanks the lead. Anaheim would tie the game at 3-3 in the fourth following the second Pujols one-base hit, but they failed to score a fourth run and take the lead when center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury made a fabulous catch on J.B. Shuck’s sinking liner to close the frame.

One inning later, Murphy lofted his first major-league home run to left and, despite challenges along the way, the 4-3 final score was forged. Nuno had been removed by then, replaced by Dellin Betances after issuing a one-out walk to Trout in the fifth. And Anaheim starter Hector Santana was gone one out into the fifth as well. Nuno, in fact, bettered his rival in almost all aspects by tiny amounts: both recorded 13 outs, though Vidal accomplished it on four fewer pitches; he struck out four, allowed five hits and three runs; while Hector’s corresponding numbers were three, six, and four.

Betances earned the win with two quality innings, and rightfully so. The three strike outs and one hit bring his season totals to 19 K’s and four safeties in just under 12 innings. Surprisingly, he led almost exclusively with his fast ball early. When Chris Iannetta lifted a one-strike pitch way over the wall in left, but just foul, with one down in the sixth, Dellin followed with 97-mph heat off the plate, but then got the Anaheim catcher looking on a filthy 82-mph bender. After a walk, the strike-out pitch to David Freeze was clocked at 95. Still, we’d all have to hold our breath when Shuck’s drive to right just missed the pole to start the seventh before Dellin struck him out, the last out the big righty would record.

Shawn Kelley retired four around a walk and two singles, but left it to Matt Thornton to retire pinch-hitting Raul Ibanez, a Yankee crowd favorite, with two on and two down in the eighth. This lefty-to-lefty battle took seven pitches and, to Raul’s credit, he went down on a liner to right. Closer David Robertson came on and did his job in the ninth, sandwiching a Trout single and Pujols eight-pitch fly to left inside swinging seven-pitch strike outs. We dearly missed Enter Sandman, but given the result, the Bronx is getting used to the man from Alabama, and he us.

On April 26, 1961, in the most momentous season of Roger Maris’s career, he stroked his first of 61 home runs, something he has in common with Murphy in 2014. Can a backup catcher be expected to have a season anything like that?

Of course not. That would involve young John Ryan doing something he accomplished in spades today. He would have to

Break Murphy’s Law