Cubs' Craig Counsell issues Pat Murphy statement on Brewers' identity before NLDS 1 Sep 30, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell (11) stands for the national anthem during game one of the Wildcard round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images

Cubs’ Craig Counsell issues Pat Murphy statement on Brewers’ identity before NLDS

Originally posted on WI Sports Heroics | By Robin M Adams | Last updated Oct 4, 2025 4:11 AM ET

The Chicago Cubs have set up a date in the National League Division Series against their NL Central rivals Milwaukee Brewers. Chicago got this far after outlasting the San Diego Padres in the NL Wild Card Round. With that, Cubs manager Craig Counsell will be seeing quite a familiar team on the opposite side.

Before he became Chicago’s manager, Counsell served as the Brewers’ skipper for several seasons. While he never guided Milwaukee to a World Series appearance, the Brewers were a competitive team for the most part of his tenure with them.

Under Counsell, the Brewers made the playoffs five times, reached the NLDS twice and the NL Championship Series once.

Counsell speaks up on Brewers’ identity with Murphy before Cubs-Brewers series

As a former Brewers manager and the one who preceded Murphy, Counsell surely has some intriguing insights on Milwaukee and how it’s being run these days by his successor.

“I see the Brewers play on how Murph would want a team to play. And it doesn’t help you strategically,” Counsell said on Friday, per Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

“It’s just you’re building kind of teams and what’s important to you. And that’s good coaching. I mean, the things that are important to him come through in his team. That’s what I see the most. It doesn’t help anticipate, you know, first and thirds or some some small detail like that necessarily. There are a few things. Those are smaller, very small details, but he wants them to play and that’s good coaching.”

Milwaukee has a great group of talent, but it’s fair to say that it doesn’t have a legitimate superstar. That hasn’t stopped the Brewers from winning 97 games, though — the most in the big leagues in 2025. They hit well and find plenty of ways to win without relying much on explosive at-bats that generate home runs. Milwaukee was just 12th in the MLB in the regular season with a .401 slugging percentage, but the Brewers are third with a .258 batting average and second with a .332 OBP.

Cubs' Craig Counsell issues Pat Murphy statement on Brewers' identity before NLDS 2 Milwaukee Brewers practice during an open workout ahead of the National League Division Series against the Chicago Cubs on Friday October 3, 2025 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

This article first appeared on WI Sports Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: