American Family Field (MILWAUKEE) – Pat Murphy’s career spans over 44 years across the minor leagues, collegiate programs, international coaching and Major League Baseball. After four decades in the game, he has a lot of lessons to share from being a baseball lifer.
Murphy can go off on tangents, but he’s not a leader known to give long, passionate speeches. Brewers players say his lessons show up in smaller, everyday moments. It might be a comment in the dugout or during a mound visit. It could be a single sentence after a bad game. Often, it’s a story that seems unrelated, until it isn’t.
Ask anyone in the Brewers clubhouse about their manager and players tend to describe him in the same way: honest to a fault, steady, wise and unafraid to laugh at himself.
This is a collection of those stories, told by the players themselves, about their favorite Murphy stories and the lessons they’ve learned along the way.
Question: What’s your favorite Murphy story?
“I got a lot. Not a lot of PG.
“My first ever interaction with Murph, it was my first spring training. Couns [Craig Counsell] was still the manager, which I knew. That’s about all I knew. And I went over to the big-league side one day to hit live at-bats. Murph was there and told me he was the video guy, so I just believed he was the video guy for about a week. The first spring training game I was in, he was managing it. I was all red and whatnot.
He was like, ‘You need to do your homework on guys.’ That’s just who Murph is, though, especially with rookie and new guys.”
Pat Murphy’s press conferences have been a highlight of the Brewers’ postseason run. (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) 
“The one story that stuck out, during the COVID summer camp this guy (Murphy) literally had a heart attack hitting fungos. He was hitting fungos; next thing we know, he’s not hitting fungos – he’s sitting in the dugout. We’re like, ‘What’s going on?’ Next thing you know, he’s gone.
Turns out he had a heart attack.
So then, he gets this shirt made like a band’s going on tour, and it said ‘This Is It’ tour, making fun of himself.
If that doesn’t perfectly describe Murph, you know what I mean? Can’t knock him down, man. He’s a tough guy. He’s meant a ton to us as players, the way he leads guys. He’s special.”
Question: Do you think he’s uniquely suited for this place?
Woodruff: “I do. The way he leads men in general is fantastic. I think having a younger club like we do, he really invests in people. That’s big why we do what we do, just investing in people. He does it really well. He knows how to push the right buttons at the right time, and I think that’s what makes him who he is.”
On hit favorite Murph story: “I’d probably say when he was eating that pancake during the interview, the Apple TV game, and he was eating the pancake. He’s pretty unpredictable.”
Question: What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned from him?
“Murph’s been big for me these last three seasons. It’s funny because the type of manager he is, you never really know where you stand with him. So he kind of keeps you guessing along the way. But now, getting to know (him) over the last three years, I think we’ve gotten pretty tight. And I’m super appreciative for the guidance and mentorship he’s given me the last three seasons.
“That guy could manage on the moon. He’s got a talent for this. He’s got a passion for this. He’s a leader of men.
“He does his best to keep everybody in the moment, regardless of what that looks like, regardless of what the moment is. That’s what he’s always preaching. That’s the biggest thing I’ve taken away from my time here is that you have to be in the moment. That’s something he believes in. Everybody would be wise to heed that advice.”
Pat Murphy greets Abner Uribe after the Brewers won Game 4 of the National League Championship Series, which sealed a series sweep of the Dodgers. (Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Question: We see the funny side of Murph. I’m sure you see a more fiery version. How would you sum up the Murph experience?
Ortiz: “That’s a great question.
“I think he’s fiery when he needs to be, and he’s funny when he needs to be. He knows what he’s doing. Of course, we wouldn’t be in this position without him. He definitely knows what he’s doing, and when he needs to get on someone, he does – and guys pay attention to that. When he needs to be funny, he does as well. I think he does a good job of understanding what the team needs.”
On his favorite Murphy story: “I can’t pick one story, but what I love is that we have the right group of guys for his personality.
All of our guys take to him really well. Nobody takes his humor personally. If he throws a jab at you or something, everybody knows that’s who he is and that’s his humor and we all appreciate it. That shows me that we have a pretty tough group of guys. We all listen to his constructive criticism pretty well. I think that’s a big part of why we’re here.”
Question: What stands out to you about Murphy’s managing style?
Frelick: “I think just the standard, right? The standard walking through the door. It doesn’t matter if it’s Game 1 of the World Series or the game before All-Star break at 12 o’clock noon. If you are not playing the same way, you’re getting benched; you’re not starting. He’ll publicly tell the media. And that’s the standard. He doesn’t do it to embarrass guys. He doesn’t do it to belittle guys. He does it because he wants everybody to know that’s what will happen. There are consequences, and the Milwaukee Brewers have a standard of play.”
On what stands out about Murphy: “His ability to get, no matter where you came from, the identity all funnels into one. I think that’s one of my favorite things about him. We all come from different places; we have different stories and backgrounds. He brings us all together to find common ground, and it makes us closer as a team.”
Question: What’s your top Murphy story?
“He said, ‘If you’re tired, go to sleep.’”
“I’ve heard him make some names up in our meetings. That’s pretty funny. You never know when he’s going to pick on you in those meetings. I don’t think I’m allowed to say half the stuff that goes on. The one that stands out to me the most when he said, ‘If you’re tired, go to sleep.’”
“There’s a lot of stories from Murph. I don’t know that I can pick just one. A lot of the one-liners he says and does are so unique. It’s so one of one.
“We talk about it all the time. We’re never going to play for anybody like him ever again. He’s unapologetically himself. As a player, you never have to wonder how Murph feels about you. Good or bad, he’s going to tell you. Everybody expects that and knows that, and he’s had some pretty legendary one-liners in team meetings and great sayings.”
Pat Murphy (foreground) and Christian Yelich are two of the biggest leaders in the Brewers clubhouse. (Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Question: What’s an example?
Yelich: “My favorite one is when we had a team meeting, getting ready to go on a long stretch against some really good teams. He was talking about not making excuses and stuff like that. He goes, ‘If you’re tired, go to sleep. Wake up at 6:30 right before the game and go play.’ That’s basically it. ‘If you’re tired, go to sleep. If you’re weak, get stronger.’ All the guys were laughing about it because it’s just him.
“Later in the year, we asked him about it, and he didn’t even remember saying it. He said, ‘I didn’t say that.’ But you can go ask everyone around here. They remember being told that if they’re tired, they should go to sleep.
“It really just goes to show his standard is winning. And he only cares about winning. He’s going to do whatever it takes to win. We love playing for him.”
Pat Murphy Discusses His Baseball Coaching Journey and Brewers’ Pursuit of First World Series Title
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