NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: DODGERS VS BREWERS

October 12, 2026

Pat Murphy

American Family Field

Milwaukee Brewers

Pregame 2 Press Conference

Q. As you look at the bullpen and the number of innings you were able to get out of them yesterday, how well do you feel about them bouncing back and all being available here today?

PAT MURPHY: Yeah, I think it's that time of year where you're available. I think mentally these guys are just experienced enough that they know this is what's required for what we want to do. Whether I like it or not or whether I feel good or not doesn't really matter. It's how I behave.

They've been doing it all year. They really have. Our pitching has just been a godsend in and of itself. I never like to talk about the pitching separate because defense affects pitching, offense affects pitching, vice versa. They all intertwine.

The team understands that it's all hands on deck, and they know that we've got to take care of business day in and day out.

Q. With the bats, which is obviously left to right, sort of a natural thing, but are there aspects of the swing profiles of the lefty bats that you like in particular? Very tough repertoire obviously, but things that you like there?

PAT MURPHY: The paddle I was talking about buying these kids, I wish we could go to the plate with that today against Yamamoto. We need a little bigger surface on the barrel of the bat because he's so effective and so good.

Yeli has been -- he's had an incredible this last month. He's been very, very good. I don't know that -- and Vaughn did a great job yesterday in his handle of Skubal. Nobody handles Skubal. He's so good. But Vaughn's had some quality at-bats off him. He had one yesterday.

But I don't know if I'd do that again. Yeli going the way he's going, it's a great statement for our team, and everybody recognize here's our MVP, here's our guy that has done so much, and he stood there and was as good a teammate as you could ever believe.

In retrospect, I'm happy it happened, but I don't know that I'll do it again. But I think Sal needs to be in there and Yeli needs to be in there.

Q. First, quick question, have you heard from Springsteen today?

PAT MURPHY: I have not, but I listened to him.

Q. What did you listen to?

PAT MURPHY: "Thunder Road" is my go-to. What else? "Darkness on the Edge of Town," love the song. And they mean something to me, and I got this book that tells me what the songs mean and how he wrote it and what was behind it. It's got this huge thing. I just got it.

I don't want to read it now because that song means that to me (laughter). So I don't want it to change.

Q. I know you love to play psychologist. Dave Roberts has walked into this room a couple times and talked about the advantage of making your team uncomfortable by taking leads in the games. How about the meaning of taking a lead in the series? You obviously weren't able to do that last year in this series. When you're up 1-0 in a best of seven on that team, is that an advantage psychologically or in any other way for your group?

PAT MURPHY: I think it gives our group who's, relatively speaking, relatively young and gives our group a feeling of yes, we can, and that's the most important feeling you can have, in my mind.

Fundamentally it starts with a belief, and I think that coming out of that game on top yesterday and winning the games in San Diego the way we did -- I mean, Hakeem/Uecker knocked that ball down in Game 1, and the way we won Game 2, it's just like you'd better start believing.

We haven't played great, but we're playing against the best. We're facing the best pitching on the planet and hoping we break through and keep that belief. But it starts with that belief.

Q. We have Gasser now on the list as your Game 3 pitcher. Are you willing to share --

PAT MURPHY: Are you recommending that?

Q. No, it's on Mike's list, so it's official.

PAT MURPHY: That's a great joke. That's a great joke, Adam. It's on Mike's list, so it's official.

Q. Would you share with us what you discussed with Dustin May about his role here in these games today and moving forward? How do you see using him?

PAT MURPHY: He could start Game 4, who knows? But he's got a role on our team right now of pitching and getting outs, and we've told him that, hey, we need you to be ready every day to get outs. If we've got an update on the status, we'll let you know.

Q. How do you get such buy-in from your players for your style of play? Anybody can bunt at any time, anybody can be benched, anybody can be pulled. How do you get the buy-in?

PAT MURPHY: I don't see it that way, I just don't. I'm not trying to avoid your question. You never know what buy-in you have. I think these guys want to win for each other. I don't think I really play that big of a role. I know I do with you guys. You guys like listening to my nonsense -- or maybe you don't. I know some of the local guys don't.

I just don't -- and style of play? We're just trying to play great defense. We're trying to throw strikes. We're trying to throw a lot of different looks at them. We're trying to get to first and take a left and keep going. Every team is doing that. I don't think we play any different than anybody else, I really don't. And I hear it a lot. Oh, I love the way you guys play. Well, I don't. There's plenty of days I don't.

Buy-in from players, I think they're just great dudes that care about each other. I don't think they're buying into anything I'm doing. I think they're buying into each other and buying into winning at a big-time level. Regardless of the odds or the adversity or what the scenario is, I think it's about them. I really do.

Q. Logan Henderson hasn't really had a hiccup his whole career, hasn't allowed three runs in I think a single start. What is it about him that's allowed him to be as steady as he's been?

PAT MURPHY: It starts with the person, first and foremost. Spend time with the guy, and you can see for yourself because he's a special dude. He's accountable. He's resilient. He's reliable. He's kind of discovering who he is as a pitcher. He's as good a teammate as you ever want to have. He cares about others. That's at the core.

Then as he goes out and pitches, he's got a low-release fastball that plays up. He's got a really good change-up. Throws a cutter and a breaking ball to go along with it. He's kind of a complete pitcher, and he can command and educate that heater in kind of a cool way.

Yeah, he didn't throw the ball great. He's in uncharted waters as far as innings and things like that, but all our guys are. He's been -- when you think about the heroes of the team or the guys that have really made this club so special, he's definitely at the forefront.

Q. You just mentioned how great Yamamoto's been.

PAT MURPHY: Are you rooting for the Dodgers?

Q. I'm neutral. I can't root for anybody.

PAT MURPHY: Took you a while. I saw your mom put her hand across your mouth like don't say it.

Q. You just mentioned how Yamamoto has been so great. What have you discussed with your hitters about changing their approach in order to be successful against him?

PAT MURPHY: Yeah, great question. We've discussed Yamamoto. Guys are not going to change that much, but their mindset, what they're looking for, their conviction, they can change.

Obviously we know he relies on six different pitches; he's good at them all. When you least expect it, he'll flip that breaking ball in there and freeze you, but he relies on a lot of heater, a lot of split off the heater. Then he can cut you, he can sink you, throw this one, throw a slider. He's just super, super talented, and he's on you. He's like coming at you all the time.

Q. You have so many great young players on your team that have stepped up, like Lara and Pratt, and now Logan Henderson is going to get the ball. What have you said to them to help them mentally be prepared for this series?

PAT MURPHY: I think my words don't mean nearly as much as their teammates' words, and I think they've got a bunch of teammates that kind of check them all the time and give them encouragement and let them know that Lara sits in there with Contreras and Chourio and Uribe. They give Lara a hard time, but they also -- probably what you do with your brother, you give him a hard time, but when push comes to shove, you put your arm around him and you love him.

I think our guys do the same thing to them, and that helps them. Henderson has that same group around him of starting pitchers that they're all young, but he's got Woodruff in there and people like that that have been through it that mentor him and say things to get them to relax a little bit.

Q. What was your first impression of William Contreras when he got here? How have you seen him grow into the leader that he's become now?

PAT MURPHY: I'm really close with Walt Weiss of the Braves, so any time there's a Braves-Brewers transaction, we immediately pick up the phone. We expect it.

So Walt filled me in and said, I'm going to tell you, you're getting something special. This is a special guy. You've got to peel away the onion a little bit and look behind a few things that come at you strong.

But he's just grown. He wants to win very, very badly. The job he did yesterday with Mis was incredible. He doesn't get the credit. He was incredible. Between every inning, he's looking him in the eye, saying you can do this, man. You can do this. It was amazing. It was amazing what William did. He didn't have the RBIs and the hits that he wanted, but he knew what his job was. To see William come from where he did, it's really special.

Q. In your five postseason games there hasn't been a single moment where the tying or go-ahead run hasn't been at the plate or on-deck circle. How stressful have these games been for you? Are you emotionally exhausted when you --

PAT MURPHY: Do I look it? Is that what you're trying to say?

(Laughter.)

You didn't mention that then I've got to go home and throw BP to my kids and flip. We play diving catches, so they start at one end -- my 7-year-old still doesn't have like you can go through the window right there, or you can hit your head on the mantel with the stone thing. He doesn't care.

So we go home at night and play diving catches. So they run, and I throw the ball up. They have to dive across the couch. If they make the catch, the other one tags and has to go. So then there's a collision at the base. That lasted last night until like 12:05. I convinced them it was time to go to bed. So then we did prayers, boom, bed.

Yeah, the whole day becomes pretty stressful. But that's a perspective, you know what I mean? What's more important, the diving catches or -- you can't get too caught up in it. It's a privilege. It's a privilege really to do this. Just got to do my job and not get caught up in it.

Q. Jake Bauers was in here earlier and said he took a moment last night during the national anthem to kind of pause and soak in the moment. As much as this is a business and a job, do you encourage that? Do you want these guys to appreciate it before they get going?

PAT MURPHY: Of course. I want them to understand how privileged they are and how -- what a gift it is, and it should maybe elicit something inside of them to say I want to share this. I want to give this to someone else. I want to help someone else be this lucky. I think that's kind of what happens when you have a great privilege.

I think the greatest thing that can happen is you can learn to empower someone else, turn it over to someone else, help someone else get to that point and realize that the joy is all there is. And to try to share it and try to help someone else attain it, that's really what it's all about.

For me, I don't do that. I don't stop, oh, God, I'll think about it later. That's why I don't read what you guys put out there because I'll read it when I retire or whenever. I just don't want to stop. I want to kind of have fun with it and be light, then be in the moment and really try to serve those 26 guys there the best I can.

Q. I wanted to follow up a little bit on Tyler's question about the buy-in and maybe flip it a little bit. Is this a situation where guys come up from the Minors or come in from other organizations and they just know that there are things they're going to have to do if the Brewers are going to succeed, and whether they may or may not need to do that somewhere else, they need to do it here, and if not, they just won't play?

PAT MURPHY: Here we go. I'm sorry, Tyler, I screwed up your question if I did. Bill kind of made that a point.

I think the great thing is we get guys who are hungry. We get guys like, hey, I want this chance. Then we kind of see maybe some things that, hey, you could really do this. This would really help us. Hey, we really need you to do this. Bauers, you need to come off the bench this year. You need to be that stable force. You know how hard it is to pitch in the Big Leagues?

We think you can do it, Jake. You've been around. Show us that you can do it. We'll give you plenty of at-bats during the year, but that's going to be your main role. And they go, It's better than going home. I don't want to go to the Minor Leagues. I think that's what happens sometimes.

The young guys, you could tell them to switch the glove and put it on the other hand, and they might do it to stay in the Big Leagues. So I think we take advantage of them at that point, and I think it ends up helping them.

And we require them to be teammates. The room requires that. Hey, we're going to try to win. We don't care where the predictions are. We don't care where the budget or the experience level is. We don't care about that. We're going to really try to win. Let's try. We've got this thing going where we think that we don't have the answer -- people say, hey, you have the answer. We want to look into what the Brewers are doing. It's 26 dudes who want to win. We're not doing anything different.

As a matter of fact, I've got a list -- I worked on it this morning for Spring Training. There is so much we have to become more efficient at. There's so much that we could teach better. There's so much that we can improve on. No matter who I have, you know what I mean? It doesn't matter. And I know coming in in my 11 years here there's going to be a new team next year. There's going to be a whole different cast of characters.

Opening Day roster to right now, how many guys? Half? Last year's team in this series, half probably? So it's going to be a new 12 or 13 guys. It's kind of exciting every year. I don't think we do any -- I don't think we do a great job of what you're talking about. I really don't. I don't think everybody's bought in all the time. I don't. But hopefully someday.

Q. You mentioned last year's playoff roster --

PAT MURPHY: There hasn't been one question from one Japanese reporter. I don't know if I offended the Japanese. What's the deal? Yamamoto's pitching.

Q. My question has already been answered.

Q. I was going to ask about Brandon Lockridge last year was on the playoff rosters, you've got Ornelas, Colton Gordon, guys who are here in case of injury basically on the taxi squad. The conversations that you have with those guys, they clearly understand their roles, but do you think it's difficult for them to kind of be here but not be able to get into the games? What are those conversations like when you tell them how the roster is going to shake out?

PAT MURPHY: Yeah, I walk by Bo Naylor, and I just pat him on the back. Love you, Bo. He knows the deal. He's impressed the heck out of me as a guy who wants to be a winning player and is a winning player. Obviously we traded for him, so it's a guy that is going to be part of our future, I think, and he knows if something happens, he's there.

Same with Johnny Rockets or same with Lockridge. Lock knows he's -- this kid's attitude and demeanor is second to none, you know what I mean? For Lock, you just walk by him and smile and you get that smile back from him. He knows, he's ready. Trust me, if there's anyone ready, it's Lock.

I think these guys are in a good -- I wouldn't feel sorry for them. I think these guys are in good spots. They get to be part of this. They're part of the team. The team loves them.

Now, Gordon, commissioner, I don't know him as well, but he's got a great personality. He seems to be -- he gave up a homer to Gary the other day in intersquad that hit off Bernie's thigh. It's kind of fun to remind him of that.

Q. With DL Hall and the role that he is playing now, how have you seen the belief in himself grow from even the beginning of the season to where he's at now and getting that double play last night?

PAT MURPHY: That's maybe what you guys are kind of alluding to. DL comes in. He just can't find his footing. His stuff is really good. Then he's injured. Then he's ticked that he's not a starter. Then he's ticked about this.

He's going through what people go through. The maturity, whatever you want to call it, the navigation, the transition to a new organization, new set of people, new role, and sometimes it's really hard. Really hard. And just couldn't find his footing. For how many years now has it been, 2 years, 2 1/2? This is year 3, right?

Finally, it kind of happened, and it probably happened with him not trying to force it. He came back after injury and just went out there, got a shot and again and then again. Then he walked a couple guys, and he knows that I don't like that. Then it's been really, really good. He knows we have total belief in him now, and that's a great -- but he had to earn that. He was part of not earning that, and he's the main part of him earning that.

If it's to be, it's up to me, you know? He proved that statement to be true. Yeah, he hasn't had happy times here for three years.

That's the great part, to watch that type of thing happen, to watch him go through it, go back and forth and be down and want to tell us all to go jump in a lake. It's great that he persevered and was resilient and put himself in a position -- now he's learned this is how you're a Big Leaguer. This is how you're a vital part of a team, the responsibility, the awareness.

Q. After the game last night, Dodgers were talking about the value of seeing your high-leverage guys for 4 2/3 innings so early in the series. How much does familiarity really work against a reliever in a long series where you're going for a lot of the same matchups?

PAT MURPHY: I think that Uribe -- has he pitched in every game? Every game in the postseason, yeah. He's doing okay. Sometimes there's nothing else you can do. You have to give your team the best chance to win. If, in fact, familiarity, as we know, as the numbers tell us, do provide an edge when you know them better.

So what we try to do is make sure they don't face the same guys the next time they pitch if they're the one-inning guys. Can't always do that, but we try like hell.

I do think it's an advantage, but what were we to do last night differently? What could we have done? How could we have avoided that? It is nice -- I could say, hey, it's nice to get a great look at Skubal when he's great. It will help our hitters be better next time. In theory, that's the way it goes. There's nothing else you can do. You just keep making decisions.

There might be a point where you go this guy has seen Uribe three times, and Uribe might have something up his sleeve based on how those other two times went, he might have something up his sleeve like, well, I never gave him this or I never did this. So those are all things you're weighing.