NL DIVISION SERIES: PADRES VS BREWERS

October 7, 2026

Pat Murphy

Petco Park

Milwaukee Brewers

Pregame 4 Press Conference

Q. Another lineup question. In having Yelich up there at 2, is that more about the matchup, or are you trying to find the right hitter with Jackson at the 1?

PAT MURPHY: Exactly. Great, good question. He's swinging it as good as you've seen him in a while, since last year actually probably, right? It's been sporadic during this year in terms of how well when he's hitting the ball hard consistently. Man, he's been great. Got to get him up there more often and get him behind Jackson.

Q. Walker Buehler has been at it for quite a while. I was just wondering what you thought about matching up against him tonight?

PAT MURPHY: He's got great experience. That's his Padres team. The Padres team have some real experienced guys that have done some really good things. That's great. You're at this point in the season, you create your own expectations, and you're going to go up against great pitching. That's the way it is.

Q. Can you walk me through the decision to go with Gasser today instead of -- maybe it's kind of like a bullpen game, but instead of one of your more bullpenish relievers?

PAT MURPHY: You mean like an opener?

Q. Yeah.

PAT MURPHY: It wouldn't have changed what they did. If we start a right-hander, for instance, they're going to smell out he's not going to go very far. So they're not going to alter it. We're still going to come down to the same matchups for Gas. Gas is throwing the ball really well. He's been really consistent for us. So we're going with it.

Q. What's the key for him that you saw down the stretch with his performance?

PAT MURPHY: It's more than one pitch for a strike and locating the cutter where he wants to, locating the two- and four-seamer. Yeah, sweeper has been a good pitch for him too at times. He also has a change-up.

He's been really consistent, staying ahead in the count around the plate all the time. He's pitching some big environments. He's been there.

Q. Maybe this is related to that, how has he grown in your confidence since the beginning of the season? Is he one of the guys that's opened eyes?

PAT MURPHY: Yeah, no question. Think about it, Harrison was going so great for us. He was nip and tuck with Henderson and Mis and really provided us a great start to the season, at least when it came to May, June. Then Harry kind of lost it a little bit, had the injury, didn't throw as well, and Gasser has picked that up, he's picked that spot up. And he's gained the confidence of the team.

That's what's most important, when you know your guys around you believe in you.

Q. You talked a minute ago about Yeli hitting the ball so hard and really peaking right now, I guess. What do you see behind the scenes from him, both from a leadership perspective, but also just like from a performance perspective to get out on the field and be the Yelich that you're talking about? What is he doing that we don't get to see?

PAT MURPHY: This is a tremendous dude that is just like so committed to the game in kind of a real healthy way. It's just the person that he is just jumps out at you. So when you're in my position and you know that about the guy that has the most experience as your leader in his own way.

It's an example-type thing. He doesn't bully anybody. He doesn't try to say this is the way we do it here. He's just not that way. So everybody feels welcome. So when you have a cadre of young players like we do or new players, because we're going to -- I don't know, we probably have 40 percent new position players, and probably the same amount or more of pitchers.

If you have that on your team every year, new blood, he just has a nice way of making them feel part of it and welcome and setting the standards that they're not in your face, like do this or else. He's just not that type.

And he works at the game and cares a lot. You don't have to be around him very long to know how much he cares. And how much he carries, you know what I mean? He really carries it with him. It's really, really kind of cool.

Q. In the playoffs, a series can really be small sample theater. When you look at Brice and Jake and Garrett, three of your top lefties, top hitters this year, they haven't been able to get it going yet. What do they need to do with such limited window to get it going, to get back to themselves?

PAT MURPHY: Yeah, talking to them individually today, it's a matter of doing what you've done that brought you here and understanding that difference might be "ehh," and then you also can't control certain things. Because everybody believes -- if you did a Jackson Chourio poll, say, hey, what kind of postseason does Jackson Chourio have, what would everyone say? Incredible, right? But then look at it from a results standpoint. So you have to do the same thing with everybody.

Now, in those three cases, it's not like they've been hitting the ball really hard and unlucky, but it is a really small sample size against a really good team that is built because they have so many -- like the guy starting today, how many postseason starts does he have? I know this, Gasser's got today. So when you're --

Q. He has three World Series.

PAT MURPHY: Oh, he has? There you go. Put your money on them then. It's a small sample size, but you have to look at those individuals and just let them know that it's a small tweak and then control what you can control. That's all you can do. Your pitch selection, seeing the ball as good as you can, not trying to do too much.

I think all of them would say they have tried to probably do too much.

Q. Sal talked about how just like the intensity and how tight these games have been. It's been like responding every inning. Do you feel like the way that maybe the personality or the identity of the team allows them to still play like free and confident the way that you want them to play in these games?

PAT MURPHY: I think you'd like to think that, and there's some guys that can do that very easily. It's natural to them. And others put a burden on themselves.

You just never know. When you don't get the result -- I was talking to my 11-year-old this morning. When you get jammed and you hit a little tweaker over the third baseman's head, when you get to first with a base hit, when you get to first, do you feel awful? No, because you got the result. But you hit a bullet to center and it gets caught, do you feel great? No, because it is a results-based game.

So when you're not getting the results, it's tough to respond sometimes the way you wanted, play with that freedom when you feel you're letting your teammates down.

I think these guys feel a responsibility to the city, to the fans, to the state. I think they've taken on all that, and they've heard enough chatter. I've said it from the beginning, and I'm not making an excuse, the postseason is crucial, but it can be a crap shoot sometimes, as we've witnessed.

Line drive gets caught in the gap and another line drive gets caught in the gap the first lead-off hitter of each inning, that can be a game changer, you know what I mean? The difference between safe and out or a strike call and a ball call if you don't have an ABS challenge left. There's so many little things that can change these games.

And it is a pretty small sample size, and you get into all other things that when you're in the postseason, you have the best pitchers available over and over and over. So it's the best part of the best teams. Yeah, sometimes it's daunting when you have a young club and you have a club that has taken on those expectations. It's also kind of fun to see them come through it.

Q. You just sort of touched on it, but I'll ask anyway.

PAT MURPHY: I ramble a lot. I'm a rambler.

Q. Several guys have been hitting the ball hard. Does that tell you the process is right, and if the process is right, does that give you more confidence one of them will get through and be able to cash in a little more just because of what you've seen on the field last night?

PAT MURPHY: Usually. You can't predict when. You hit a ball 107 and it ends the game in a double play, you don't usually see that. Those balls hit in the gap, I don't know, you guys have all the technology to tell you what the percentage or the expected OPS on those balls are, but it's really, really high.

You know what your guys can do. You're just hoping that they can stay under control and perform, and if the process is right, usually it results in something positive, but not always.

Q. Jackson Merrill's performance last night, any thoughts on the range and athleticism Jackson showed? And did you get any feedback on your in-game commentary to Tom Verducci about this one while watching the Sal ball to right center?

PAT MURPHY: The feedback I got on that was, wow, how did you know he was going to catch it? Yeah, I've obviously got a close personal relationship with Jackson. My son and him lived together in the off-season for three seasons before Spring Training or during Spring Training. They're good friends. They played together in A ball in Lake Elsinore, so I've known Jackson since then.

My son was added to the team from when I first signed, he was a college player, so they told him, hey, man -- Zammo was the manager -- hey, you need to lead here. You need to have the leadership qualities here.

About the first week I called and said, Hey, how's it going and whatever?

It's good, man.

Are you doing your job? Are you becoming a leader?

He's like, Dad, we got this kid, he's 18, he's the leader of the team, man. He carries this team. It's unbelievable.

I said, Oh, really, who's that?

He goes, Jackson Merrill. This kid's real.

So that was my first introduction to him.

Q. It seems like a team that's in elimination mode, that's not all bad, they can call upon anyone, they're trying to stay alive. Maybe Michael King doesn't pinch-hit if they're up a game or two. Any thoughts on how that can be difficult to knock a team out?

PAT MURPHY: The Padres were the hottest team in baseball, you know what I mean, in the second half, and they have firepower. They're built -- I don't know what their budget is and I don't know if that matters, but they're built to win. They're not trying to look good for the fans and have a respectable season, they're built to try to win.

When they got on the roll they got on, it's a really powerful team. Yeah, regardless of our situation, it's going to be tough to play a team like this, and it's proven to be. Three one-run games, it's been unbelievable.

Q. Does that surprise you?

PAT MURPHY: No, the kid's a monster. I said it last year, I said it the year before. What was his first year on the Padres, two years ago? I said it then, man, the first time we saw him, ooh, this kid's filthy. He's got the right mentality. Great respect for him.

Q. A Chourio question, he said to us last night maybe he was a little anxious in his at-bats. Did you see that from him last night? Was that a good reminder he was still 22 years old?

PAT MURPHY: Yeah, he's still great. He's just so great. He's just a tremendous competitor. It's the game of baseball. Look at how many guys are grizzled veterans that have come into these situations. He's not struggling, but he's not getting the results.

Q. Is there any scenario tonight in which Jacob is available or goes out to the bullpen?

PAT MURPHY: Could be. Could be.

Q. Do you have a feeling --

PAT MURPHY: It won't be just because. We've got to be smart about it and look at the situation. But I think our pitching is in good shape. We're exposed a little bit. Each team has seen each other a lot. That's part of what makes this a great series.

I don't know about the other series. I've got too much on my plate to follow all the other series, but this series has just been unbelievable. And who has deserved to win which game? It's like Game 1, who should have won? Game 2, really? Yesterday, really? It's just how it works, so you've just got to keep grinding and enjoy it.