Brewers manager Pat Murphy predicted White Sox's 2026 success

Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Brewers manager Pat Murphy predicted White Sox's 2026 success

By Alan Rubenstein | Last updated Sep 1, 2026 7:33 PM ET

Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy predicted that the Chicago White Sox would be a team to be reckoned with in 2026.

White Sox studio host Chuck Garfien quoted Murphy as saying, "I could smell it across the diamond," in reference to the White Sox, during an appearance by the Brewers manager on his podcast.

Murphy compared the 2026 White Sox to the 2024 Brewers. Milwaukee had 93 wins and 69 losses during the 2024 season before losing in three games to the New York Mets in the wild-card Series. The Brewers won 92 games in 2023 before getting swept out of the playoffs by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the wild-card Series.

Milwaukee was projected to win 78 games and lose 84 by FanGraphs at the beginning of the 2024 season. The White Sox were 29th out of 30 teams in the FanGraphs 2026 MLB preseason power rankings. FanGraphs predicted the White Sox to have 68 wins and 94 losses in 2026.

The White Sox enter their game at Houston on Tuesday with 72 wins and 65 losses. At their current pace, they would finish with 85.212 wins and 76.788 losses. Without question, the White Sox have been the biggest surprise in Major League Baseball during the 2026 season.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy said during the first series of the season that the White Sox would be a team to be reckoned with in the AL Central.

Murphy on the White Sox Podcast:
“I could smell it from across the diamond.”https://t.co/IUKkzpMDUY pic.twitter.com/uDbF5fdqXD
— Chuck Garfien (@ChuckGarfien) September 1, 2026

"They're all in, they're committed," Murphy said. "They reminder me of us in '24. Nobody expected anything ... they proved me right ... I could smell it from across the diamond. You could smell their energy. They weren't giving in."

Huge praise for White Sox from the best team in MLB

Entering Tuesday night, Milwaukee has the best record in MLB with 85 wins and 53 losses. The White Sox have the 10th-best MLB record in 2026. In a three-game sweep to begin the season, the Brewers outscored the White Sox, 29-10, in Milwaukee.

The White Sox began the 2026 season with seven wins and 14 losses and appeared headed for a third consecutive 100-loss season. After ending April with 14 wins and 18 losses, the White Sox had 18 victories and 10 defeats in May, which set the foundation for the rest of the White Sox's season.

Alan Rubenstein

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