NL DIVISION SERIES: CUBS VS BREWERS

October 9, 2025

Pat Murphy

Wrigley Field

Milwaukee Brewers

Pregame 4 Press Conference

Q. Yelich lead-off against the lefty as well as kind of breaking the other lefties down to seven --

PAT MURPHY: You've seen us do it all year, yeah.

Q. The rationale with Yelich against the lefty?

PAT MURPHY: He hits more today. So it's a combination of splitting up the lefties like we did most of the year, one, four, seven, and then having Yelich be the lead-off guy because he'll hit more in the game. That fifth at-bat might come; you never know.

Q. Just kind of looking at the first two games and then last night, is there any difference that you saw in the quality of the at-bats or anything that you think you can take from last night into tonight?

PAT MURPHY: I mean, it's all about the pitcher you're facing. It's all about the game situation, on the road, all that. That's the ebb and flow of baseball. I thought we did a pretty good job. We didn't come up with the big hit at the big time, but we did -- again, I hear all of it.

When you lose a close game, you hear all the things you could have done. Bunt Turang; he's one of your best hitters; you're down one that late in the game, in my opinion you don't give up an out there if it's that type of hitter.

If it's a down the line hitter that doesn't have that type of success where you're one of the top 10 hitters in the league, you don't bunt him.

He's our version of, I don't know, Bryce Harper but maybe not -- obviously he doesn't produce like that. But he's our version of a middle-of-the-order guy. You're not going to bunt him. You're going to try to win the game.

I've also heard, well why didn't you hit for Frelick there against Thielbar? He is also one of the top 10 hitters in the game and you're not going to pinch-hit for him. He could pinch-hit for other people.

But it didn't work out where those other people were up with runners on base. Yeah, I think about every game what I could have done or what moves could have been made, and they're always going to be playing devil's advocate when you don't win. When you do win, you don't think about it. Everything was under the rug.

Q. When did you decide on Freddy for tonight, and was it much of a decision? Did you consider other options?

PAT MURPHY: I mean, you think about everything this time of year. You just want to win. With our starting pitching the way it is right now with -- we're limping in with the starting pitching. It hasn't been our strong point.

But you also -- we're playing to win it all. We're all in to win it all. In order to have Freddy for sure for two times in the next series, it was imperative, best available pitcher, let's go.

Q. We all know that Jackson has been playing injured. I was wondering your take on how he's been able to perform through this, because he's not only in the lineup, he's doing really well and he's contributing big-time for you guys even with essentially kind of one leg.

PAT MURPHY: You know, I wouldn't say one leg. I don't want to dramatize what it is. But he's got a lingering hamstring. It's affecting him. I didn't put him in center field -- I didn't keep Collins in the game because of that. Then that spot came around again, so that can affect you.

But he's just -- he knows what these games mean, and he's doing everything with the trainers he can. It's not getting worse, so he said, so that's a good thing. It has affected us in small ways, the way we position the whole thing. If you dive into it, it has an effect.

Q. With Freddy Peralta, obviously you guys know the level of pitcher this is, and I think the division obviously has an idea of what he is. But does he not get enough credit throughout baseball for the type of top-level starting pitcher he is?

PAT MURPHY: I don't know what kind of credit you guys give him and don't because I don't spend my time -- I read a lot of Shakespeare and things like that in my free time. So I don't see a lot of who gets the credit and who doesn't.

I know in our clubhouse and I know from the opposing players I talk to, they all really respect the heck out of him for who he is. Where that ranks in the game, I don't really know.

The Shakespeare thing was a joke.

To be or not to be, that is the question, whether it's nobler in the minds to suffer the slings and arrows of begotten fortune, or bear arms -- I'll stop. What is that, Hamlet? Was that pretty good?

Q. I was going to ask what your favorite Shakespearean tragedy was --

PAT MURPHY: I've got to go with Hamlet.

Q. With Freddy, is that a conversation that, like, he's involved with? Is he asking to take the ball today? Also, how did you -- does four days' rest versus five days' rest matter at this time of the year, given that's something you guys care about during the regular season?

PAT MURPHY: Yeah, I think this time of year he understands what we're doing. Best foot forward, and deal with tomorrow tomorrow, but best foot forward today. Can he go on four? The answer is yes. Does he want to pitch? Yes. Bam. Does he understand the big picture? Yes.

Q. In all three games so far this series, a lot of the action has come early in the first inning. Is there anything you make of that or take away from that? And then in each of these three games --

PAT MURPHY: Yeah, you can just close your eyes and go, tell me what happens.

Q. In each of these three games does it feel like what's happened in that first inning has kind of set a tone for your guys?

PAT MURPHY: Yeah, I think in the first two games for sure. Great response and great opening, we got an opportunity, we got the ball lost in the sun, and it was really unfortunate for the Cubs in that if there was a player standing under the ball, it would have been an infield fly.

We were fortunate there. But we'll take it. But their response then and our bottom of first wasn't good. Yeah, it dictates the game a lot of times and sets the tone, but you've got to keep playing. It's all about that.

Q. Between the atmospheres in both parks, and some of the games have been close, the answers in the bottom of the first inning from both teams, has this felt like a great battle to you, this series?

PAT MURPHY: Yeah. Yeah. It's absolutely a great battle. Two teams from the same division. The Cubs have been picked to win the division for how many years in a row. Nobody has really believed that we were going to be great.

It's been a dogfight every time we play them. It's great. Players know each other, respect each other. The fans don't like each other, and we don't like them during the game. But it's been great. It's been a great series.

Q. You mentioned Brice a few minutes ago and wanting to have him in a spot where he can still swing the bat instead of asking him to bunt in certain situations. He had a really, really productive regular season. It hasn't quite been there in these three games so far. What is your general approach to knowing you had a guy and knowing what he's capable of, seeing what he's done, but then it hasn't shown up in a series where you do kind of need immediate results to keep playing?

PAT MURPHY: Yeah. Well, I'll tell you, if you look at the other series that are going on, there's plenty of examples of the O for whatever, the three games of nothing.

He's only played three games. I'd bet on him, knowing what I know about him in the last two years. It was like Sal coming up there yesterday; I turned to Ricky yesterday and I said, guarantee he's going to have a good game tonight. Guarantee.

The catch he made in right field, sac fly, base hit, pretty good outing.

In playoff scenario, you can't keep these good players down long. I think Brice will respond.