NL DIVISION SERIES: PADRES VS BREWERS

October 5, 2026

Pat Murphy

Petco Park

Milwaukee Brewers

Workout Day Press Conference

Q. There was just a whole online discussion, your favorite thing, about tipping pitches, about picking up pitches, and whether he was or wasn't. How much time do you and your coaches dedicate to that topic, especially at this time of year where there's so many eyes on everything?

PAT MURPHY: I'd be not telling the truth if I didn't tell you that it's part of our game today in a big way. The most important part is to make sure your pitchers, catchers, infielders, coaches, nobody's giving anything away.

So pitchers by grip, by where they stand, by if their mouth is open or closed, eyes are down, head is up, more turned, feet are a different way -- there's so many elements. Big breath, small breath, taps on the ground. There's so many ways to give away a pitch.

They're creatures of habit, so, in fact, you have to practice that and stay on that. As soon as one thing isn't a deal, then they turn their glove a little or flash in their glove a little or dig a little more. There's a science to it now.

So it's that, and then making sure infielders aren't moving early or make sure your catcher's not making the same steps defensively every time.

Coaches sign. Sometimes we give the sign from the dugout or teams do, making sure that's not picked up.

Then the base coaches you can tell because the base coaches, hitters are coming in and peeking at the base coach, and if he moves, then it's one pitch. So you have to put in time.

Now, as far as picking up other teams, there's a whole process to that, and how do you relay it from second base? And are you deking, or are you doing it for real? That's all part of the game. It's all part of it right now. And it's a big part of it that's happening.

I think we first recognized it with the Dodgers back in the day, but they say that it originated, Yankees-Red Sox way back when. I might be wrong on that. And the rules were different, and you were giving signs back then.

The Dodgers had an elaborate system of once they found out or they could kind of decipher what sign system you were using -- because there was four or five. There's usually three signs, and there was four or five different ways. Chase the two, add one, outs plus one -- there was so many ways to do it.

Q. Murph, a real interesting stat, of the three walks you had last night, 17 pitches, zero swings. How do you feel your guys have done so far this series of making San Diego be in the zone?

PAT MURPHY: You've been at both games, and you've seen that San Diego has a tremendous pitching staff. That's all there is to it, they have tremendous pitching, tremendous team. Our thing is play offense, get to first, and you can't get to first by taking pitches only, but when the stuff is as good as Miller's stuff is, it's hard to get off a swing, but especially if you're looking at a certain area. If you're looking for a certain area that he generally goes, then you've got to stay stubborn. I thought they did a great job.

Q. We've asked you a lot about ABS this season, and Gary was just in here, and I asked him in particular if he's had any interesting discussions with you about his usage of it. Obviously he's been very liberal in his use of it, and you got Vaughny on the other side who hasn't done it at all. Do you remember any cases in particular where you were really angry, and what are your conversations like with him in how much he does use it?

PAT MURPHY: Kraken, he's beautiful. He's a beautiful human, man. He's been such a huge part of our journey this year.

Yeah, we always say Kraken's pinch hits are usually started by a challenge, and then we go from there. I think for position players, because he's pinch-hitting late, he knows we have one left or two. He feels like he can use them if they're close. You'd like to see hitters more on that side of it than just never challenge.

ABS is a fascinating thing. I think it's worked. It can be frustrating until you go through it as a team and realize that like, when you lose one early, that changes how aggressive you can be late. Hitters especially, and it really comes down to the right situation. To leave two of them on the board is not good either, you know what I mean?

Because there's just such a closeness with some of these, I think it's important you understand where you're at and only challenge when it's a big situation.

Q. As he came over from the trade deadline, what were some things you noticed about Dustin as he was trying to work through some struggles that maybe you learned about him along the way, and does any of that give you added confidence going into tomorrow?

PAT MURPHY: Yeah, Dustin has done some really good things. He's experienced. I really believe that he's really tough on himself. He's very critical and wants to get it right. Yeah, the best version of him is really good.

Q. Murph, you obviously had Mis and Henderson lined up for Games 1 and 2, but how do you feel about just where your guys are at in the bullpen when it comes to your length, guys like Drohan and Gasser and guys who are fresh and ready to go for tomorrow or whatever the future may bring?

PAT MURPHY: Yeah, we've had to use a lot of bullpen. That's the way it is. You could look back and say, wow, we wish the other team didn't have the exposure to Uribe and Megill and Ashby so many times, but that's the reality of it. You're just trying to scrape to win every game.

We've got a job to do, and the two emotional wins, the way we've had them, that's part of baseball, but it's time to move on and be ready today. So all hands on deck starting tomorrow.

Q. As someone who has managed with the Padres and against them, what kind of atmosphere does Petco present?

PAT MURPHY: When I was managing the Padres as the interim, we didn't have that environment that they have today. They have built a team here that the people come out in an incredible way. I've heard people say it is the best environment in baseball.

When I was here, we were -- I took over, and we were in fifth place. We didn't move the needle that much after that. But that was 70 games into the season, and we didn't have the opportunity to have that environment like they have now. It's a huge thing.

Hat's off to A.J. and the job that the organization has done bringing in the star players the way they have and creating an environment that's very, very advantageous.

Q. There are a lot of little things, so many little things that you could talk about in that bottom of the ninth last night. I wanted to ask about the way Chourio fouled off 103 on the black on the outside. More importantly, what are your thoughts on how he smells his bat? Have you noticed that?

PAT MURPHY: Did you say more importantly?

Q. Yes.

PAT MURPHY: A lot of players do that. I don't know if you noticed that if you actually watch the games, but a lot of guys do do that, especially when they just foul it off, so they can smell the leather.

What was the other part of it? 103. Yeah, he was locked in, taking that breaking ball the way he did. That was incredible.

Q. Is it like smelling salts?

PAT MURPHY: I guess similar, I'm not sure. It will be like performance enhancing now. They'll outlaw smelling the bat after for performance enhancement.

Q. Are there other hitters that come to mind of like Jackson where a team has like this level of sort of collective confidence? Right, like we just heard from so many of the guys yesterday that they expect him to deliver. I'm just wondering if there's other hitters that come to mind where you remember that being the case.

PAT MURPHY: Yeah, when you think about it, when Brauny was here, Yelly, in '18 -- '18 and '19, he was unconscious. He could call his shot, so to speak. He's not that type of guy. Yeah, there's a lot of great hitters. I don't know if I know one that was 22 that was rolling and doing what Jackson's been doing.

I think of that guy in Cleveland, talking to Vogter and stuff about like he's kind of that guy. I've never run across one better than Jack Jack. Yelly, I can think about Yelly, I think of Brauny. When Brauny was confident, forget it. It was going to be hit hard. I wasn't even in Brauny's -- the prime of his career, but he was awfully good. Awfully good hitter.