Pat Murphy's Mix of Jokes and Hard Standards Has Brewers on Brink of First World Series Title

When the Milwaukee Brewers clinched a first-round bye, they spent that week playing simulated games at American Family Field to prepare for the division series. During one workout, manager Pat Murphy called over left-hander Colton Gordon, who arrived from the Houston Astros in July and pitched at Triple-A until a late September call-up.

Murphy told Gordon that opposing scouts were spying from the upper deck and asked for backup as security headed up. Gordon spotted a shadowy figure in the stands and rode an elevator with a guard who warned of being unarmed. The target turned out to be a statue of Hall of Fame announcer Bob Uecker in Section 422, while teammates on the field laughed. "Yeah, he got me," Gordon said.

That playfulness has endeared the 67-year-old Murphy to a team trying to win the first World Series in franchise history. There is a harder side too. Murphy is the front-runner for a third straight NL Manager of the Year award, and once said he wished he could tase a player who was thrown out going from first to third. So the question follows: is it all an act? One Brewers coach said that when you look a few layers deeper, "That wasn't just clowning around."

Players have plenty of favorite stories. Around the start of the playoffs, Murphy gave a message about the grind of October after a 162-game season. "If you're tired, take a nap," reliever DL Hall recalled. "If you're weak, get stronger." First baseman Jake Bauers called it the best line of all time. Outfielder Christian Yelich said the delivery was sincere: "Oh no, he's serious."

Murphy also tends to address mistakes right away. Pitcher Chad Patrick remembered giving up a rally against the Cubs, returning to the dugout and hearing Murphy loudly ask who was warming up because the game had just been blown. Patrick said it stayed with him for a while but is funny to laugh about now. A coach explained that Murphy simply says aloud what everyone would post on social media later. General manager Matt Arnold described it as setting standards: "The bar to be in this dugout is very high."

Murphy can go the other direction as well. Coaches recalled that when Murphy was Milwaukee's bench coach, first baseman Eric Thames once sawed off half his bat on a weak out and stormed back to the dugout holding the remains. Murphy deadpanned, "Did you break it?" and Thames calmed down. This season, with the Cubs making a pitching change before an at-bat for 21-year-old rookie Luis Lara, Murphy put an arm around the player and offered a positive pep talk. Lara then delivered a walk-off single, and called the moment his favorite interaction.

The tase comment came in Murphy's first days with Andrew Vaughn last year, a warning about getting thrown out at third base. Closer Trevor Megill said that approach takes some interpretation. "The guy has a big heart but bigger expectations," he said. Bauers insisted it is real: "It's not an act. That is Murph." He added that the approach can be uncomfortable, but players who take it seriously get the best out of themselves.

Starter Logan Henderson said Murphy "demands excellence" and sets a standard that is cool to play for. It does not suit everyone. Without naming names, Brewers officials acknowledged that some players were moved over the years because they could not handle it. What remains is a hardened team that has improved year after year and now stands near its ultimate goal.

Even the team meetings carry the humor. Pitcher Shane Drohan said that before the playoffs, Murphy opened by saying it would be the last time the group met. The Brewers have held about three meetings since. "That's Murph," Drohan said.