‘This is where I’m supposed to be’. Pat Murphy reflects after signing extension with Brewers

Brewers manager Pat Murphy is feeling lucky about all things Brewers

Brewers manager Pat Murphy is feeling lucky, and it’s not just about his new contract extension.

• Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy has signed a three-year contract extension through the 2028 season.
• Murphy has led the Brewers to two consecutive National League Central Division titles in his first two years.
• He has also been named the National League manager of the year twice in a row.

PHOENIX – It could rightly be said that Pat Murphy bucked the odds when he was named the 20th manager in Milwaukee Brewers franchise history on Nov. 15, 2023.

Two seasons, two National League Central Division titles and two NL manager of the year awards later, the 67-year-old has done it again, signing what the club described as a three-year contract extension that will keep him calling the shots from the dugout through at least the 2028 season.

The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported the deal also includes a club option for 2029 while ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported Murphy will be paid $8.95 million in total, putting him in the upper echelon of major league managers.

“I don’t look at mine as any special journey to be honest with you,” a reflective Murphy told reporters in his office at American Family Fields of Phoenix not long after the Brewers announced his signing Feb. 20. “I just, I really don’t think about it. I don’t have time for that. I’ve got two young ones at home, and two other ones and grandkids, and I don’t have time to think about it.

“There’ll be a day for that, maybe.”

Murphy’s tale has been well chronicled, and it is a great one.

A tough upbringing in Syracuse, New York. A sports background that included boxing. A minor league baseball career. Amateur coaching stops that took him from the likes of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges in the late 1980s to high-profile gigs at Notre Dame and Arizona State.

From there it was managing in the minor leagues in the San Diego Padres system beginning in 2011, with his ascent ending in an interim managerial gig in the majors in 2015 when Bud Black was fired (he went 42-54).

Craig Counsell, who had played for Murphy at Notre Dame in the early 1990s, hired his mentor as bench coach with the Brewers in 2016, a year after Counsell took the managerial reins from Ron Roenicke.

Murphy remained as Counsell’s right-hand man all the way through the 2023 season, then surprised many when he was hired to replace him when Counsell departed for a five-year contract with the rival Chicago Cubs.

“I was glad to have him, the continuity,” said Brewers designated hitter Christian Yelich. “The whole time I’d been here [since 2018] he’d been with Couns that whole time and we were familiar with him and he was familiar with us. He just kind of knew how we did things, so it was good to have somebody that had been around. Things didn’t change a ton when he took over.

“Obviously, him and Couns have different personalities, different ways of going about things, but he was familiar with us and the way we did things and I was glad he was taking over.

“Obviously, it went really well the first couple years.”

Some questioned the move at the time of his hiring because of Murphy’s age or lack of managerial experience.

But as Yelich noted, it’s Murphy and the Brewers who have had the last laugh.

Milwaukee has gone 93-69 and 97-65 the past two seasons with Murphy at the helm, blowing past external expectations. Both years the Brewers have bested the Cubs, running their streak of Central Division titles to three.

After a heartbreaking exit at the hands of the New York Mets in the teams’ NL wild-card series in 2024, Milwaukee finally exorcised its postseason demons with a hard-fought, five-game triumph over the Cubs in the NL Division Series.

The Brewers finished with the best record in the majors following a campaign in which they caught fire in late May, rattling off a franchise-record 14 wins along with streaks of 11 and eight games.

Setting the stage for all that success has been Murphy’s steady hand in the dugout – one that’s done a tremendous job molding and motivating the talent provided him by president of baseball operations Matt Arnold & Co. while also remaining a quotable and self-effacing leader loved by players and fans alike.

He’s funny and fiery at the same time, a proud father who brings his young sons, Austin and Jaxon, along for the ride whenever possible, a unique man who has now twice been lauded as the top manager in the NL – a feat that had been accomplished only once previously (Atlanta’s Bobby Cox in 2004 and 2005).

“His personality, his coaching style fits me, and I think it fits a lot of people in this clubhouse,” closer Trevor Megill said. “Maybe that’s part of the formula upstairs, but just the way he goes about his business is very admirable.

“Just being able to be led by a guy with that much passion at 67, everybody just seems to really respond to it well and we appreciate everything he does.”

Added Arnold: “He’s 1 of 1. He’s special and I love the fact that he wants to continue to challenge everyone in the room and try to make everyone better. He’s not afraid, he’s competitive, he’s going to fight you tooth and nail for a win and to make you better off the field, and he cares about people.”

Murphy’s contract had been a topic of discussion during the postseason, and both he and team principal owner Mark Attanasio deferred comment on where the situation stood before the initial reports broke on Feb. 19 that the sides had agreed to a deal.

“I think it’s important to know where you’re going to be,” Murphy said. “I didn’t really have any doubt that this was going to work out. I’m really grateful, really thankful. I really feel lucky driving to work every day. I feel lucky this is what I do for a living. I feel lucky that someone says, ‘We want you to be in this position for our organization.’ I know how tough it is to get here.

“But with it comes responsibility. I didn’t need to be certain that I was wanted. I didn’t need this to happen. I just felt like it probably is the best to get it done. I don’t want to be with any other organization. I feel connected. Going on my 11th season I feel really a part of it and this is where I’m supposed to be.”

One of the continuing themes of Murphy’s tenure managing the Brewers has been his unwillingness to accept all the credit for the team’s success, even saying he’s embarrassed by the attention lavished on him while accepting his manager of the year awards at the annual Baseball Writers Association of America dinners in New York.

“There’s a lot of coaches, managers in the world that have had great on-the-field success, and there’s also a great amount of guys that are in leadership roles that do a tremendous job – way better than what I would do – that don’t get the credit,” Murphy said. “So, sometimes getting the credit is a challenge.

“I don’t look at this as like I’m better than someone else, I really don’t. I just look at it as a responsibility.”

When asked what the best part of his job managing the Brewers has been, he thought for a moment.

“It’s just the relationships,” he said. “I don’t even remember some of the games. Some of them stand out, but it’s not that. It’s the relationships. The best part of the job is seeing guys believe in themselves. When you see a young player come up and now know that they belong, know that not only do they belong but, ‘Hey, I’m really good at this,’ and they’ve built a habitual way of getting better. God, that’s just a great feeling, man.

“And, having my family around at the same time. My kids get to be around it. That’s the best part of it.”