NL DIVISION SERIES: CUBS VS BREWERS

October 6, 2025

Pat Murphy

American Family Field

Milwaukee Brewers

Postgame 2 Press Conference

Brewers 7, Cubs 3

Q. Murph, where was your confidence level in Miz going into it and where is it now, and was tonight just kind of as he goes, you kept him in there depending on how he was looking?

PAT MURPHY: We were thinking somewhere between 30 and 50 pitches and we were thinking that he'd let us know he was gassed. He was very emotional, and you guys know what he's been through, but he responded. I think that's a really good sign.

He was one of the keys to the game, and there was a lot of them. This game was in a lot of different parts, but Miz stepped up. You guys get all enthralled with MPH. I'm enthralled that he wasn't giving up free bases, kept his composure with runners and that type of thing.

William, again, Contreras, had an unbelievable game, not only offensively but he had a great game defensively, too. He got them through that. He caught seven pitchers tonight, a lot with inexperience, never been in the playoffs, and he navigated it pretty well.

Q. Misiorowski is so emotional and that's just part of his DNA --

PAT MURPHY: Do you know him?

Q. No, just looking at him. Do you have to harness that at all, especially in a postseason game? Any conversations with him about just --

PAT MURPHY: Chill?

Q. Controlling that.

PAT MURPHY: I mean, you've got to let him express himself but then you got to watch and see if he comes back to where he needs to be.

It's hard. He came off the mound in the second inning and he was ranting and raving and I gave him a little, like, okay, stay with it.

He's here at the highest level for a reason, and he's been through some ups and downs. I think he's pretty aware and pretty on high alert.

Q. This offense is so predicated on base hits, singles, doubles, but three home runs the big difference tonight. How does that feel watching your offensive production come from the long ball instead of just base hits?

PAT MURPHY: That's any time. Home runs are thrown, they're not created. They're thrown. We took advantage of that.

Sometimes that happens for us during the season. Sometimes we have to win other ways. But the key is you've got to find a way.

If you have different ways to win, if you just rely on one thing, it's harder to win. I'm really pleased we did. Vaughn's home run and then Contreras and Chourio's homers was the difference in the game. But you don't see that from the Brewers very often. But it was great it did.

Contreras' pitch wasn't really a home run pitch but he pulled his hands in really well. Vaughn did a great job of getting it out front, and Chourio's ball, that kid, he shows -- he posts in the biggest games of the year. It's pretty fun.

Q. Andrew Vaughn, what has he meant to the ballclub since arriving?

PAT MURPHY: He's been a great addition. He's a great young man. The game humbled him. He's in Triple-A and he's struggling in Triple-A and the game humbled him. It goes to show you how mental this game is and how much of this game has to do with our mindset, and then him getting this opportunity because of an injury and then another guy opted out and -- he wasn't first on the list to bring up.

Then all of a sudden he gets his opportunity, doesn't say a word, keeps his head down; first game, gets a great pitch to hit from Yamamoto. It's a three-run homer, feels the energy, and he just played off it the rest of the time.

Now I'd say he's back into a spot where he feels great about who he is and how he contributes. Tremendous teammate, tremendous baseball mind, always studying the game. It's been a joy to be around him. I don't know how many games he's been here, but you guys would know.

And the team trusts him. They just trust him. Defensively also, we heard he's a little shaky -- this kid has been unbelievable defensively, and it's been all about who he's become and how he feels like he can help, and he's got a real role in the team.

People want to be wanted. His teammates love him. It's pretty cool.

Q. You talk a lot about how you respond or your team responds in those moments --

PAT MURPHY: How I respond? I do the same s--- every day. I'm just standing there; know what I mean? Take a sip, put it down. I'm not responding.

Q. It's about how the team responds when they get knocked down or in a fight and you use that analogy a lot. It's one thing to do that in the regular season, but your team has now done it twice after getting hit there in that first inning. What do you think of how your team has done that the last two games?

PAT MURPHY: I mean, people are wondering how does this team have the best record in baseball. How does this team -- nobody predicted they'd be over .500 and then we have all the injuries; certainly nobody was banking on us. But how did that happen? It's the group of the people in the room. It's the group of people in the room that know how to wash it off. They know how to bounce back. They know how to have a bad series and understand the importance of the next pitch. That relentless kind of behavior is a separator.

But don't think other teams and other guys don't do it, too. We've just got a good collection of guys that are happy they're in the Big Leagues. I call them cliffhangers, guys that don't know if their locker is going to be there when they get back to the deal. That's a fun thing. That hunger makes us look like we know what we're doing. It's pretty cool.

Especially in this game because this game is so in your head. It's so mental and it's so based on so many different things.

Q. Do you know what your plans are for a Game 3 starting pitcher, if you're ready to announce that or not?

PAT MURPHY: Game 3 will be Priester.

Q. Murph, maybe not quite highlight reel type plays, but the catch that Sal made down the line jumping into the sidewall --

PAT MURPHY: Was that a necessary dive? I need to know, because he does a lot of unnecessary -- it was necessary? He couldn't have caught it standing still and not be on the highlight reel?

Q. That kind of play there, the couple plays that Vaughn made down the line on some of those ground balls, what do plays like that do for just kind of keeping the game under control and not giving --

PAT MURPHY: Yeah, that's the rhythm of the game. You're not allowing base runners on balls that can be caught. Vaughn did a great job. And great feeds. That's not an easy play. Great catch, great feed. Sal's play is -- Sal is as good as there is defensively in the outfield.

He's been doing it all year for us. Whether he's going well at the plate or whether he plays every pitch hard. It's special to have a guy like that on your team.

Kurt, I want to ask you a question. Who do I talk about the most on this team every single day? Who do I talk about the most?

Q. In terms of us asking you or you --

PAT MURPHY: No, who do I bring up the most on my own?

Q. Contreras. Got to credit William.

PAT MURPHY: Every day I bring this guy up ad nauseam; know what I mean?

Q. Since you were willing to share that Priester is starting Game 3, it looked like he was getting loose before the game. Can you speak about the gamesmanship of maybe trying to deke him out a little bit there?

PAT MURPHY: We didn't have any plans on throwing Priester. There was no plans. He has his throwing program that he does, and doing his throwing program, and yeah.

Q. Speaking of Jack-Jack, coming in a little banged up into the game, hits the home run, catches the foul ball, has that little collision at first base. We could ask him, but in your mind how did he respond from --

PAT MURPHY: Unbelievable. He's 21 years old and doing the things he's doing in the first couple games here, in the environment, just know that's special. That's special. We all wish we could have that -- have that it factor the way Jack-Jack does. I remember when he went to Triple-A for his rehab after his injury. He went 0 for 18 four punch-outs everybody was panicked.

Then the first day in Toronto, the first live pitch he saw in the Big Leagues, he hit it out the park and the kid grabbed it took it back. He wasn't satisfied, so then he homered the next time and then doubled the next time.

The guy has got the "it" factor.

Q. Did you have a hunch about him tonight?

PAT MURPHY: A hunch? Yeah, absolutely.