Pat Murphy has made a habit of turning small moments into big ones, and the Brewers keep cashing in.
That was on display again in Milwaukee’s latest extra-inning win over the division rival Chicago Cubs, when Murphy pulled Luis Lara aside before a crucial at-bat and gave the young hitter a quick boost of confidence. Lara had gone 0-for-4, but the message from his manager was simple and direct, and it left him smiling before he stepped in and delivered the walk-off single one pitch later.
After the game, Lara explained the exchange this way: “He asked me if I was ready, and I told him, ‘Yes.’ He told me he had confidence in me, and it’s what he’s always told me. I appreciate him a lot.”
That kind of hands-on managing has become a signature for Murphy, even if it’s not the usual way things are done around baseball these days. It’s also a big reason the Brewers have kept thriving under him.
The two-game burst against Chicago started on Labor Day, when Milwaukee opened its final three-game series of the regular season by erasing a late deficit with three runs in the eighth inning. Then Lara and Jackson Chourio saved the day in the ninth with spectacular catches that preserved a one-run win.
The next night, Chourio came through again, this time at the plate with a game-tying, two-run homer in the ninth. That set the stage for Lara’s heroics in extras, with Murphy’s words hanging in the air just before the decisive swing.
Murphy’s style has been part of the Brewers’ identity ever since he arrived in November 2015 as Craig Counsell’s bench coach. Eight years later, after Counsell’s shocking departure in November 2023, he took over as manager and immediately put his stamp on the club.
What followed in 2024 was supposed to be a rebuilding year, but Murphy squeezed far more out of a roster many saw as a group of “Average Joes.” He pushed a “win tonight” approach and built a brand of baseball that became known as “Murph Ball,” where effort, urgency and doing whatever it took to win were nonnegotiable.
That mindset spread through the clubhouse. Veterans like Willy Adames and William Contreras bought in, with Adames playing in every game except the final day of the regular season and Contreras stringing together 101 consecutive games. Their example helped set the tone for younger players such as Jackson Chourio, Brice Turang and Sal Frelick.
Murphy didn’t back off in 2025, either. He kept pressing his players to sharpen up and wasn’t afraid to make a point, even benching Caleb Durbin and Sal Frelick mid-game after a series of mental mistakes. The Brewers responded with a franchise-best 14-game winning streak in the dog days of summer and the best overall record in baseball.
This season, the same approach has continued to show up in different ways. Murphy stood behind Trevor Megill during his slow start, challenged Joey Ortiz after his move to third base and the promotion of rookie Cooper Pratt, removed pitchers Brandon Sproat and Robert Gasser in the middle of at-bats, and benched Pratt after he failed to execute on bunt opportunities and didn’t hustle.
For Murphy, the message never changes: accountability and confidence can live in the same clubhouse. And for the Brewers, that blend has kept producing results. Since he took over as skipper in 2024, Milwaukee has more wins than any other team in baseball.
In Other News...
Brewers Are Still Cashing In On A Trade Nobody Noticed
Back on Feb. 9, just before spring training, the Brewers and Red Sox quietly completed a six-player trade that barely registered at the time. Deals involving that many big-league pieces are rare enough, but what has made this one stand out is how quickly it has turned into a true major-league exchange, with every player in the deal reaching the highest level and contributing this season.
From Milwaukees side, the trade has already paid off with notable work from Harrison and Hamilton, giving the Brewers useful production from a move that was easy to overlook in February. The Red Sox have their own end of the bargain working, too, with Durbin emerging as one of the more notable pieces, which is what makes the deal so unusual: months later, it is still producing value for both clubs, and the full long-term shape of it is only beginning to come into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Are Getting National Credit For What They've Built
The Brewers keep finding themselves in the same conversation for a reason. After winning the National League Central in each of the past three seasons and staying on pace for another strong run, Milwaukee has built a reputation that is now drawing attention well beyond its own market. ESPNs latest organizational rankings put the Brewers near the top of baseball, citing the overall talent level across both the major league roster and the farm system.
What stands out about that kind of recognition is how much of it is tied to breadth, not just one or two headline names. Milwaukees mix of current contributors and prospects has given the club a legitimate national profile, even if the long-term payoff for some of those players still has to be proven. For a team that has turned consistency into its calling card, that sort of external validation is another sign the Brewers have built something real. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Have A Strange New Weakness They Can't Take Into October
The Brewers have quietly run into one of the more unusual issues of their 2026 season, and it has nothing to do with pitching depth or bullpen usage. Under Major League Baseball's ABS challenge system, Milwaukee has been among the least effective teams in the sport, with a low success rate and an offense that challenges pitches less often than any other club.
It has not just been a matter of volume, either. Brewers catchers have also been below average when they do push for a review, which has made the system harder to trust in tight moments late in games. For a team that expects October baseball to come down to small edges, this has become a subtle but real weakness to keep in mind. [Read more 🡒]