NEW YORK (AP) — Daniel Murphy is proud he put fatherhood ahead of baseball, and New York Mets manager Terry Collins thinks criticism his second baseman received for taking paternity leave this week was unfair.

Murphy made his season debut Thursday, three days after the birth of son Noah. He calls staying in Florida an extra day “the right decision to make” following wife Victoria’s cesarean section and says “we felt the best thing for our family was for me to stay for an extra day.”

He learned Sunday that his wife’s water broke, then traveled to Florida and missed Monday’s 9-7 opening loss to Washington and Wednesday night’s 5-1 defeat. He says his son was born at 12:02 p.m. Monday.

Major league rules allow up to three days of paternity leave, and WFAN broadcaster Mike Francesa said on the air Wednesday that Murphy should not have skipped the second game.