It would be very easy for a World Series champion to stick their nose out at a slip of the tongue or a viral 'hot mic' moment, but not for Brewers manager Pat Murphy. Widely expected to take home his third straight NL Manager of the Year award, Murphy remains humble as ever and was adamant about clearing up misconceptions following what we'll call a slip of the tongue.
In a viral moment caught on the field after the Brewers won Game 5 of the Fall Classic in Tampa Bay, Murphy grabbed Bauers and told him, "You're going to be a rich f****r," and "Just remember when you’re on that horse s**t Yankees team, and you guys are all playing for yourself, just remember — this is the way we used to do it.”
For most baseball fans, it was a big chuckle. For Yankees fans, it was an awkward stray, but even a segment of their own fans respected the honesty. But for Murphy, it had nothing to do with the Yankees at all. Rather, it was a point of trying to motivate Bauers and, in a roundabout way, plant a seed to keep the impending free agent in Milwaukee, as he clarified on a new podcast.
Murphy made an appearance on the NY Post's "The Show" with Joel Sherman & Jon Heyman, and said the following about his response to the viral moment he shared with Jake Bauers:
"So, I didn't mean to say these Yankees, like the 2026 or whatever Yankees, are selfish. I was just referring to the teams that have a lot of high-paid, long-contract players. Sometimes, it's harder getting all those guys together, to play together. You know, I used the Yankees because I knew Jake was with them before, but yeah, I called Brian Cashman right away when I heard it got out. I didn't know I was on mic...
"I felt horribly if I slandered the Yankees because I was just kind of referring to them as this iconic machine."
Pat Murphy has too much humility to let this Yankees moment slide.
If you've followed Pat Murphy closely during his 11 years with the Brewers, or through his 44-year journey as a baseball coach, you'd know that he doesn't like to speak down to others, and he certainly doesn't like it when his teams gloat. This interaction with Jake Bauers, which he thought was a private moment, offered him an opportunity to put his money where his mouth was.
Murphy explained that when he called Cashman, he explained what he meant, as best he could, and complimented Cashman for having an even-keeled demeanor about it. For those of you who don't know, Cashman has been with the Yankees organization since 1986 and has been the team's GM since 1998. If there was anyone for Murphy to call about this slip-up, it was him.
Murphy has held the Brewers locker room to a standard everyone is supposed to share — even himself. The conversation with Bauers was just banter between two people with a close relationship, and it wasn't meant for public consumption.
In the age of social media, when you never truly know when you have a camera or a hot mic on you, you can never be too careful. Let this be a lesson not only to Murphy and the Brewers, but to everyone: you need to be aware of what you say when you're in the public eye. And whether what he said was actually right or wrong? Well, that's in the eye of the beholder.
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