NL WILD CARD SERIES: METS VS BREWERS

October 3, 2024

Pat Murphy

American Family Field

Milwaukee Brewers

Postgame Press Conference

Mets - 4, Brewers - 2

Q. Murph, just off the top, the emotions of that ninth inning, can you kind of describe what it was for you?

PAT MURPHY: It's baseball. You got three players that are upper echelon players in Lindor, Nimmo, and Alonso, and they did what they do -- a walk, a base hit, and an opposite field homer. They did what they do.

I want to credit the Mets. That's what that inning was about is that inning was about the Mets. They were great. Those three players are All-Stars. They have long-term contracts for a reason. They're great players, and they've been through a helluva ride here having to play the extra games and all the credit goes to the Mets.

Q. Murph, that script, as it sets up, works exactly how you might want it. You want some more runs, but you get Freddy in there, he does his work. Your bullpen did everything. Your starting pitcher did all of the things you could ask. Sports isn't scripted, but that was set up pretty good, wasn't it?

PAT MURPHY: It was. It was a great script for us. Devin has been as good a closer as there is in baseball for the two and a half years that he's played. He was injured most of this year. He's been unbelievable. I'd give him the ballgame tomorrow in the same situation and any other game I'm involved with, if we have a lead, and I'd give Devin the ball.

Again, that's three really good players. Lindor is one of the best in the game. Nimmo is there for a reason. He's their best hitter right now, and Alonso, while may be quiet this series, that's a huge swing. Yeah. That's the way it is.

Q. To expound on what Tobias gave you tonight, everything you could have hoped for?

PAT MURPHY: No doubt. He emptied the tank there in the fifth. His last few outings were a little shorter. He emptied the tank in the fifth, and he was tremendous. I'm really proud of that young man, all he's been through.

I love this team. I love them. I'll never be able to duplicate 2024. It didn't end the way we wanted to. It ended tragically actually. It felt like it, and it felt like a tragedy.

I feel sad for our guys because they competed like they did, but it's baseball. When you're facing a team with those type of guys, that's what they're capable of.

Q. This is obviously five straight times out in the first round in the playoffs. I don't know if you can describe the disappointment of another early exit in the playoffs, but how do you put that into words?

PAT MURPHY: You can look at that another -- you can look at history, if you want. But I think the best part of history, if you want to report on history, is the Brewers have been to the playoffs in 6 out of 7 years with one of the smallest budgets and in one of the smallest markets in baseball. So I think that is something that the organization should be commended for.

Early exits out of the playoffs, I mean, there's not a lot of teams that go deep every year. So we showed we're competitive. We had the fourth best record in baseball, and we didn't do anything to get ourselves out of the postseason, and the credit goes to the Mets.

But if you want to emphasize that, that's your right to do whatever you'd like to emphasize. I'd like to emphasize the Brewers organization has been to the postseason 6 out of 7 years with not the biggest budget and quite frankly in a real small market. I think that's something to hang your hat on. I'm disappointed like anyone else, but things happen.

Every team we've lost to in the playoffs, as you know, every team we've lost to in the playoffs went to the World Series. Now, I can't predict what's going to happen here.

Q. Can you just expound on what you love about this club? You had a lot of injuries, a lot of young players, just what this team meant to you in your first year as a manager.

PAT MURPHY: Yeah, nobody expected us -- look at -- once we traded Corbin, look at the prognosticators, look what they said. They predicted a fourth and fifth place, and these guys rose to the occasion and basically went wire to wire, went late April to September in first place.

In the meantime, we lost maybe our best offensive player in Yelich and lost other starting pitchers along the way again and again. The adversity, they just kept winning. Yeah, I'm really proud of them.

I love them. I love the energy. I love the camaraderie they showed. I loved the way they mixed together, young and old. Our older guys did a great job of Yelich and Devin and Freddy Peralta, Willy, Rhys Hoskins, Wade Miley, those guys, you'll remember them forever the way they led the team. They cared about each other. Hell, Miley and Yelich haven't played in a long time and have been injured, and you've got to see the way they're involved. It's amazing.

That is makes you feel good about it. That's what I love about this group. They hung together. Nobody is going to tell me this wasn't successful. Not from my own standpoint, I've got a ton of work to do, but that's not the point. This team, what they achieved to win the division and play as competitively as they did, should be commended.

Q. I know that we can all kind of empathize perhaps with how Devin may be feeling right now, but is this one of those instances where you as a manager say something to him or just let him be with himself and his teammates?

PAT MURPHY: I just talked to them. Yeah, you do talk to them. Why wouldn't you if you love them? Sometimes you let a loved one sit, and other times you let them know.

I told him, out of this disappointment, out of this situation, you will grow. You will rise again, and something good will come out of it somehow.

Q. Murph, the first eight innings, it was Myers, it was Nick Mears, it was Bauers hit 199, Sal hadn't homered since May. What are the first eight innings? What are you going to take away from that about the kind of team you are or want to be?

PAT MURPHY: They were ready to compete. They were on it. They didn't let the moment beat them. There's a couple of at bats and a couple of instances, where guys were trying to do too much. I think Devin was trying to do too much, to be quite frank. He was so pumped up.

What an environment. The fans need to be commended for the way they came out these three games. They gave us a lift.

Yeah, I couldn't have been more pleased with those first eight innings. I couldn't have been more pleased.