NL DIVISION SERIES: PADRES VS BREWERS

October 6, 2026

Pat Murphy

Petco Park

Milwaukee Brewers

Pregame 3 Press Conference

Q. What's your thinking with Bryce hitting fourth?

PAT MURPHY: There's all sorts of things behind it. You want to try to line up the hitters according to how you think they're going to pitch them and what are the pitchers coming -- in a game like this, you don't know how long any starter's going, and you want to always match up according to how you think they're going to bring guys in.

Jackson being he's circled, if you will, as well as anybody in the lineup, you want to have behind it somebody that they're going to bring in this guy, that's going to present a little more of a different challenge than that.

It's your best five hitting in the first five usually. Interchange, you don't want to always put two lefties together unless you're trying to invite that. You're going to switch one of them out. In this situation, I just decided to do that.

Q. We're in that small sample thing, Turang looking for his first hit in the series, the quality of the at-bats, though, what have you thought about the way he's swinging the bat?

PAT MURPHY: He looks great. I think he's doing fine. I trust him. He's on it, and people are pitching him tough. There's different ways to slice that, but yeah, I think he's swinging the bat really good.

Q. He's dealt with that all year because he's taken that next step, the Baseball Classic and then one of your main guys. How do you think he's handled that part of it that he's now a guy who --

PAT MURPHY: Yeah, yeah, a hundred RBIs. I don't know how many homers, but 20 homers and 100 RBIs. On base percentage, incredible. Did he steal 20 bags or he didn't? It doesn't matter.

Yeah, he's emerged as a real ballplayer. I would bet he'd win the Gold Glove, you know what I mean, or be first or second for sure. We don't do it without him. We don't win the games we've won without him.

Q. Maybe a dumb question, but is there anything you guys learned or pull down from last year's --

PAT MURPHY: That's so normal for us. Don't even think twice about it.

Q. Anything you guys pulled out or learned from last year's Division Series in terms of hopping out to the 2-0 lead and the way that one unfolded that you can apply here this year?

PAT MURPHY: Yeah, of course. I don't know what the percentage is, but I'm going to say home-field advantage means something. I think it really means something. They tell me the way things are here the last two games versus the Cubs were just amazing.

I've had some experienced baseball people tell me that this environment was second to none that they've ever been part of. Yeah, that's -- it's not like we've clear-cut played better than the Padres, you know what I mean? We have not outplayed anybody. We're just surviving, you know.

That kind of fits for us anyways. What's the guy's name that picks the win before the season, the infielder, played for the Mariners? Pecota. Wasn't he an infielder who played for the Mariners?

Q. Royals.

PAT MURPHY: I don't think he had us at 100 wins. I think he had us in the 80s, low 80s. We've kind of survived, you know what I mean? I know it will be a really tough, tough thing. I know how good this team is. I know too much about this team.

Q. You probably won't like this question, but I'll try it anyway. Can you appreciate why people who may not care about either team would love to see this go five games because it's been so entertaining? These are two franchises that put on a pretty good show, neither one has won a World Series, both small markets.

PAT MURPHY: I don't think on that level, I really don't. I leave that for people who pay to see the games. I'm lucky enough to get a free ticket every game, and I'm just worried about what I got to do and my role in trying to help and impact any way I can, if I can.

I don't think on those levels, but when I hear that, I don't think too deep into it. I don't know any facts about it. I know what their budget is for players. I know what our budget is for players. I know what their talent level and experience is like. I know what our talent level and experience is like.

Everybody has opinions. None of that matters. It's like, okay, that's their group, this is our group, how do we figure it out? That's all I'm thinking about.

Q. First two games were pretty entertaining?

PAT MURPHY: Entertaining? I wouldn't say I was entertained. I was probably exhausted and drained and grateful. I'm sure to the fan it was very entertaining.

Q. When you were here with the Padres as the manager, it was a little bit different atmosphere than it is now, I guess. Can you just explain how different it is here now than it was in 2015?

PAT MURPHY: Yeah, they've done an incredible job of bringing in star players. They've done a great job of winning baseball games and standing up to the Dodgers and everyone else in this division. Like don't sleep on the Diamondbacks and how consistently good they've been. And the Giants, it will be just a matter of time. They have tremendous pieces there and good leadership. I think they will be a matter of time.

This division might not have been on paper the best division this year. The Central was the best on paper, but I think it's always an incredible division, and what the Padres have done to put themselves in the forefront every year and to fill this stadium and create this environment that they've created, it's an amazing story. It's an amazing story.

Yeah, it wasn't like that back then. Plus I didn't -- I was just -- I was learning. I was a kindergartner, if you will.

Q. How long ago?

PAT MURPHY: 12 years. 12 years makes a difference.

Q. How?

PAT MURPHY: How does it make a difference? Look at you 12 years ago. You remember that? I'm joking. I have no idea.

(Laughter.)

I was just thinking of Adam actually 12 years ago.

Q. Have you evolved?

PAT MURPHY: Of course. I hope. I hope. I kind of let it go a bit. I was a college coach forever, and then I had this huge injustice happen, and I thought why me and feel sorry for myself and all that. My ego was involved a great deal more than it should.

When you have your priorities focused on your kids and your life and then realizing that this position isn't about you, it's about others, and it has to be or all bets are off, that realization just frees you up. I don't know if I'm any good. I just know I have to get better. I know I'm under construction, and I've enjoyed the construction project. It feels like it never gets done, though.

You ever remodel your house and it just feels like it never gets done, and then you want another change, and you thought it was this, and then you realize that ain't it? Why did I put carpet in this room? What was I thinking? Then you just keep going with the construction. I feel like that's kind of like life, you know what I mean? You keep trying to find a way.

I'm going to handle this better next year. I'm going to do this better next year. I guess you might make changes, but nobody's that interested except yourself. I think it's the way to go. I've been lucky to have good friends and people to speak to and talk to about it and just continually kind of grow.

If you're in a leadership position, you've got a big responsibility, but be careful if you're forcing it or be careful if you're not genuine, be careful if you're not -- if you're doing it for the wrong reasons. It's a mental struggle every day.

It is for all of us, right? If you want to be really good at something, you struggle with it. That's enough about that. What did Forrest Gump say?

Q. "That's all I have to say about that."

PAT MURPHY: That was a good accent right there. I felt like Forrest a little bit there for a second.

Q. Along those lines, they have a lot of lefties in their lineup today. Do you anticipate there being more of a chess match throughout today's game, and how do you weigh getting them to use their chips early but also knowing that they'll still have a platoon advantage if you force an early hand?

PAT MURPHY: You weigh all of those things, and then you have to execute pitches, whether you're left-handed or right-handed. There's no guarantee because you bring in a lefty this changes out. It's no guarantee because you bring in a lefty you're going to get him out.

It comes back to that's less important than you think because whoever has the upper hand at that point has the advantage. They have a few more position players than we do, they chose to do that. That creates that scenario.

We have a few more pitchers, but they've got two of the greatest relievers in the game. Yeah, they're a great team, let's be honest. Who's the hottest team in baseball since whenever, right? They're it. They're a great team. It's an unlucky draw, I guess, but it's one we earned. So here we are.

Q. When you were talking about setting the expectations, when you guys traded Caleb Durbin and traded away Peralta, has this exceeded your expectations too as far as you won 97 games, and Pecota had you like at 84 wins this year? Did this team surprise you?

PAT MURPHY: This team? Yeah. I'm one of those guys when we're 0-1, I'm not sure we can win a game, you know what I mean? Yeah, this team has earned my trust in a huge way, and they exceeded what I thought -- I don't think anyone in the world thought we could -- that's a lot of games. When you look back, you're like wow. When did we really play good?

That's what I kept saying. I would say we just haven't -- I would say it to you guys. We just haven't really got on a roll. Maybe because we're not that good, I don't know, but I just never felt like we got on a roll. Then you look up and you go, whoa, we did a lot. Proud of the group. Still want them to get on that roll and play good.

Q. Is it kind of surreal thinking you won more games than the Dodgers each of the last two years?

PAT MURPHY: Yeah, yeah. I just feel like they probably feel like they have a cushion when they're up four games or up five games in the division, they feel a little differently about it than I do when I know that the next guy up is a guy that's never seen the Big Leagues or the next guy up is a guy that we picked up on as a DFA.

I just have the front office to thank for being able to pick up the right guys because those type of guys have filled in and did really nicely for us, but we don't have the luxury of maybe you have a guy that hadn't pitched much and he's going to make his debut in August. He's a $30 million two-time Cy Young winner or something like that. We don't have that cushion. So we're more desperate to play every single game.

You look up at the end of the year, we won the division by 14 games. That's surreal when you think about that's how it happens when you just get your head down and churn. What could we have done to prepare more for the postseason? What else can you do? I don't know. Just keep winning games. Rest guys? Like, oh, we got this.

Ask anybody in this locker room if they feel like, oh, we got this, and just not play guys, go a man down or something like that, they need to keep playing too.

Q. I know you've been asked a lot about Chourio, but kind of on a more general level, do you feel there are certain guys who are more built to handle this stage than others, and if so, what are the characteristics of that?

PAT MURPHY: Let's be honest, talent is one of them and mindset. But guys go through different times in their career, man. I remember, because I was a Barry Bonds fan, got to know him while I was at ASU and kind of got to know him a little bit deeper maybe than others. I remember in the beginning he struggled in the postseason numbers-wise, I guess. I remember then that changed. And other players have done that.

I think it's just kind of where you are in your career and how things unfold, and it's usually not that many games. Ours isn't a game where -- unless you get the winning hit or you hit homers, ours isn't a game where a small sample size really, really does it justice.

You can have a game where you hit balls hard and they get caught. Then the next game maybe you don't get pitches to hit and maybe you just mis-hit a ball or a guy makes a great play on you and all of a sudden you're 1 for 11 and really you're playing well, having good at-bats. Very few punch-outs and things like that.

You're like, God, I have nothing to show for it. I think that just happens. When you're talking about Jack-Jack, he seems to just get better as the year goes on, and it doesn't seem like situations get to him. But then there's a whole other story coming, you know what I mean? They're probably going to not pitch to him today in certain situations or have a lefty ready and pitch around him and pitch to the next lefty type of thing.

Q. Are you prepared to name a starter for Game 4 at this particular point in time?

PAT MURPHY: No, I'm not. No, not prepared. Unprepared. Is that the word, unprepared?

Q. I want to go back to Padres, I know different circumstances. Your college career was a little bit in the rearview mirror. You worked in the Minor Leagues here as a manager.

PAT MURPHY: Five years.

Q. When you see what Tony Vitello went through this year, trying to make that conversion directly from college, could you relate to it?

PAT MURPHY: I could relate to it except I had Minor League experience and I was still shitty, you know what I mean? It's like I don't know how he could have done it, and I told him that. Like, bro, I know he's got a great general manager. I don't know the guy, but the way the guy played, I'm sure he's really good, Posey.

So thinking of Tony going into that, who I didn't know that well -- we coached against each other somewhere, TCU or Missouri or someplace, but I didn't personally know him that well. We had so many common friends. When we talked, I was like, man, I don't know how you're going to do it. I've got to tell you.

I had so many little things that I thought, which I'm sure was no help to him, I couldn't even fathom knowing what I did when I came out of college, even doing Eugene for two years and Triple-A for three years, I couldn't even fathom walking into the Big Leagues at that time and being able to be an effective leader or even manage the baseball game as it's played here.

So all year I wasn't aware of what their team was doing. They played great against us, but I never -- I didn't follow it. I don't know what was being said. I can't imagine.

Q. He was pretty much being hammered most of the game.

PAT MURPHY: He was? Well, I can't even imagine having that experience. It's like harness racing versus thoroughbred racing. That's how I look at it.

Not that there's not great college players, not that it's not a great game. I don't even know the college game right now, but certainly I wasn't ready. Hey, I wasn't ready when I took over in '24. I was still very wet behind the ears. But we've got a media group that didn't realize that (laughter).

Q. So how long do you think it will take? Do you think Vitello is going to be able to adjust?

PAT MURPHY: Yeah, he's sharper than I am. I think it's going through it and getting your butt beat and going through it and saying the wrong thing maybe or going through it -- like I did everything wrong five times, and I did some good things, and we weren't brutal. If you look at some of the circumstances, we weren't brutal. There was still some good things because we had some good players.

It's just that I was not ready to be impactful and didn't understand the Major League game. Those are my opinions.

But there's good things you still do, and you can still function. I think he'll have learned a lot from 162, and I think he'll do -- and plus he's probably sharper than I am, you know what I mean? Again, I still had so much of my ego running the ship, and that gets in the way. That's like having a blinder on.

Although I bet some horses with blinkers that won. Sometimes they put blinkers on them so they can't see. Shouldn't really influence your bet, but there's times it helps.