Who was Jessica Tovar? Red Sox prospect Chris Murphy's MLB debut special for more than one reason

Chris Murphy finally made his debut for the Boston Red Sox on June 7. However, the debut was emotional for the 25-year-old left-handed pitcher.

Chris Murphy paid tribute to his former babysitter, a close family friend and neighbor Jessica Tovar. This was evident by the words "I play for Jessica" tattooed on his chest and written on his baseball hat and glove.

Jessica used to be the best friend of Chris's older sister and was a babysitter for Chris and his younger sister. Tovar and Chris visited each other's homes every day. Moreover, her mother prepared Mexican food for Chris.

Chris promised that he would save her a ticket when he eventually made his MLB debut. Since he was in sixth grade, he started writing "I play for Jessica" under his hat.

Unfortunately, Jessica was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of cancer. She passed away at the age of 26 in 2012. Regarding his debut, Murphy said:

"I knew it was going to be emotional. I tried to compartmentalize that but definitely one of those moments where I felt Jessica out there." (via Telegram.com)

He continued:

"She’d be proud, for sure. It’s been a long journey. It’s been 12 years since I’ve seen her so it’s one of those things that if she was here, she’d be happy and tell me not to take it too hard on myself."

For his debut, Chris invited Jessica's mother along with his family and girlfriend to the Progressive Field and fulfilled the promise he made to Jessica all those years ago.

His debut also served as a birthday present WooSox manager Chad Tracy.

He pitched 3 1/2 innings, allowed one walk and scored five strikeouts in his debut. Despite this, the Boston Red Sox lost to the Cleveland Guardians 5-2.

Chris Murphy's MiLB career

Chris Murphy in Boston Red Sox Photo Day

Chris Murphy has just started his career in the major leagues. He gained experience mostly in the minor leagues.

He has been associated with teams like Lowell Spinners for whom he scored 34 strikeouts and had an ERA of 1.08 in 33 1/3 innings. He also had stints with Greenville Drive and Portland Sea Dogs. Throughout 2021, he made 21 appearances in minor leagues, having a win-loss record of 8-5, in 101 1/3 innings. He also struck out a total of 128 batters.

He joined the Worcester Red Sox in 2022. For them, he had an ERA of 7.71 along with 42 strikeouts in 39 2/3 innings. In November, he was added by the Boston Red Sox and placed in their 40-man roster. In June 2023, he finally made his major league debut.