Manager Pat Murphy admits Brewers 'exceeded' expectations in 2026

SAN DIEGO — Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy is enjoying the ride.

Considering the team has the NL's best record and a 2-1 lead over the San Diego Padres, it was quite the regular season for the Brewers. No team won more than Milwaukee did, racking up 103 wins.

However, anything short of a World Series run (keeping the Los Angeles Dodgers from a third consecutive title) may be seen as a disappointment by many within MLB circles.

Murphy, however, can sit back and take in the moment, as he did in pregame meetings with the media inside Petco Park before his team took batting practice ahead of an elimination game, which the Padres won, 4-3.

"This team earned my trust in a huge way, and yeah, they exceeded what I thought," Murphy said. "I don't think anyone in the world thought we could (win 103 games). That's a lot of games."

Brewers following Pat Murphy's lead in postseason

Murphy has gained a bit of a cult following for his deadpan humor and his views on baseball and his team. He joked on Tuesday that, "when we're 0-1, I'm not sure we can win a game."

Yet he has built a roster and a clubhouse chemistry that has Milwaukee on the verge of moving on to the NL Championship Series for the second consecutive year. Murphy has also made sure his team stays at an even keel, including working to ensure the emotions that come with the postseason don't change what the team has done so well all season.

"I think it's just being present in the moment," outfielder Garrett Mitchell said. "It's not looking forward. It's not looking behind. Every pitch and every at-bat and every moment is a new opportunity. I think for us, like I said — I've said this a lot this year, but you treat each day the same from Game 1 to game now.

"I think we do a really good job at that. We're staying present. We're not worried about what's happened behind us and what's ahead of us, but just sticking to one pitch, one moment at a time, and trying to win that day, that pitch, that moment."

Now Murphy and the Brewers are focused on how they can continue their strong play inside arguably one of baseball's most raucous home-field environments in Petco Park.

"I've had some experienced baseball people tell me that this environment was second to none that they've ever been a part of," Murphy said.

He also knows that this is a series that could easily be anything other than a 2-1 lead for the Brewers. In Game 1, San Diego's momentum was short-circuited by Ty France's potential ninth-inning home run hitting part of the roof in Milwaukee. In Game 2, Jackson Chourio came through with a two-out, two-run hit against All-Star closer Mason Miller to give the Brewers the win.

Two close games that went the Brewers' way as Milwaukee simply continue to exceed expectations in Murphy's eyes.

"It's not like we've clear cut played better than the Padres," Murphy said. "We have not outplayed anybody. We just survived. That kind of fits for us anyway."

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.