Brewers’ Pat Murphy’s style leads to postseason success

Murphy makes it work with a style that manages to hold his players accountable while generating their loyalty.

“It’s the group of people in the room,” he said. “They know how to bounce back. They know how to have a bad series and understand the importance of the next pitch. That relentless kind of behavior is a separator.

“We’ve just got a good collection of guys that are happy they’re in the big leagues. I call them cliffhangers, guys that don’t know if their locker is going to be there when they get back. That’s a fun thing. That hunger makes us look like we know what we’re doing.”

Retired Red Sox star Dustin Pedroia experienced that ethos in person when he played for Murphy at Arizona State from 2002-04.

“I’ve known him for 25 years and he’s the same person today as he was then,” Pedroia told the Globe. “You can’t manage 18- [to] 21-year-olds the same way you do major leaguers. But for him it’s about how he treats you as a person.

“He talks to Kelli [Pedroia’s wife] more than he talks to me. He gets to know everything about the people around him. I loved playing for him and I was around the Brewers for a few days in spring training. They love it, too.”

Murphy coached college baseball from 1983-2009, rising from Division 3 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps to Notre Dame and Arizona State. He won 1,000 games as a college coach before joining the Padres as a special assistant in 2010 after leaving Arizona State in the wake of an NCAA investigation.

A five-year stint as a minor league manager followed. Murphy then served as interim manager of the Padres for the final 96 games of the 2015 season after Bud Black was fired.

The Padres passed on Murphy and hired Andy Green as manager. Murphy left the organization to become bench coach of the Brewers under Craig Counsell, one of Murphy’s former players at Notre Dame.

When Counsell left the Brewers for the Cubs, Murphy was promoted. Milwaukee has since won 190 games and Chicago 175.

Murphy, who played parts of four seasons in the minors, understood he couldn’t manage professionals like he did college players.

“It’s just a whole different world, you know? It’s harness racing vs. thoroughbred racing,” he said. “I don’t mean to discredit the college game in any way. I love the college game, and I’m very thankful for my time there.

“But it’s a totally different game. It’s a totally different group that you’re dealing with. … I’m just under construction trying to do what I can do, whatever role the manager has in the major leagues.”

Murphy described “brainwashing” players as a college coach.

“You have more hold on them. You talk to them more often. You’re in [the clubhouse] more often,” he said. “You know every little nook and cranny of their life. They’re in a vulnerable time.

“[With the Brewers] we’re dealing with guys that are professionals and well-established. And in many cases way smarter than I am.”

But Murphy will act when needed. He has high regard for right fielder Sal Frelick, the former Lexington High and Boston College star. But when Frelick overthrew the cutoff man and allowed a runner to move up a base earlier this season, Murphy took him out of the game the next inning.

“I didn’t say anything because I know who Sal is,” Murphy said. “I know that killed him.”

Murphy also has told Frelick to go back to college and get his MBA because he’s too small to stay in the majors for long. Pedroia heard the same thing from Terry Francona when he was a young player.

“Murph finds ways to motivate you. It’s funny, but he’s also pushing you to be the best player you can be,” Pedroia said. “For a player like Sal, he’s perfect.”

Murphy can find ways to connect with almost anybody. His four children range in age from 5 to 39. He also has two grandchildren and a bunch of tattoos, including one on his back that has the names of people influential in his life.

The disparate group included famed sports psychologist Harvey Dorfman, Pat Tillman, Bruce Springsteen, Muhammad Ali, and former Notre Dame football coach Ara Parseghian.

He also has a tattoo of the uniform patch the Brewers wore this season in memory of the late Bob Uecker.

Murphy’s wide-ranging career included managing the Netherlands in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Arizona State assistant coach Jay Sferra handled the team’s recruiting in his absence and successfully landed Pedroia.

When Pedroia showed up on campus on a visit, Murphy didn’t believe the scrawny 155-pound kid from northern California was one of his future players.

“Who the heck are you?” he asked Pedroia.

“I’m your next shortstop,” Pedroia shot back.

Pedroia said Murphy was tough on him as a freshman, making him earn his spot on the team and pushing him to improve.

“When Milwaukee hired him to manage, I thought it was a great fit,” Pedroia said. “They’ve been a good team and he was part of that.”

Brewers fans have booed Counsell since when he returns to American Family Field.

“I hate it,” Murphy said. “It’s none of my business, but I know this: They never boo a bum. You’re getting booed, you’re good at something.

“I hate it because I know how much he loves Milwaukee. I know how much he loves this city. He loves this state. … But fans will be fans. They’re fanatics, so they do what they do, and people pile on and that type of thing.”

You don’t see many managers upbraid their fan base. But Murphy isn’t afraid to say what he thinks.

“It ain’t about me; let’s make it clear. Anything like that is just me being light and I think authentic,” he said. “It’s just I like to keep it light. I don’t have a strategy behind it, to be honest with you. I’m nervous just like everyone else is nervous before games.”

Who’s on first?

One interesting tidbit that came out of the end-of-season press conference was Craig Breslow not committing to the idea of Triston Casas being Boston’s first baseman next season.

“I don’t think it makes a ton of sense on Oct. 6 to say someone is or isn’t our first baseman,” Breslow said. “We’ll see how things play out.”

Casas played only 92 games the last two seasons because of injuries and had a .730 OPS when he was on the field. Breslow also speaks frequently of having an athletic and dynamic lineup, and Casas does not fit that mold.

In a departure from past offseasons, Casas will work out at Fenway South. That could be to his advantage. At best, he’ll get a chance to earn the job. It can’t be handed to him.

Whether it’s at first base or DH, the Sox need more thump. Those two positions produced only 42 home runs last season and 15 of them came from Rafael Devers.

The Sox don’t have any prospects who are first basemen unless you count Kristian Campbell, who had 31 starts there for Triple A Worcester after he was demoted.

Outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia had one start at first base for Worcester. That experiment seems to have run its course.

Pete Alonso, Josh Naylor, and Ryan O’Hearn are the best free agent options.

A few other observations on the Red Sox:

▪ Connor Wong anthem .190 with a .500 OPS this season and went 168 at-bats without a home run. There’s not much getting around how bad that is.

But he fractured a finger on his left hand on April 7 and came back on May 2, much sooner than was anticipated. Then Wong had surgery after the season to remove a carpal boss from his right wrist.

A carpal boss is a bony bump that can cause discomfort and dysfunction according to the Cleveland Clinic.

So Wong had a broken finger on one hand and a lump of bone on the wrong place on his right hand. No wonder he didn’t anthem well.

▪ MLB Trade Rumors came out with its arbitration projections. The Sox wouldn’t seem to have too many difficult decisions.

Brennan Bernardino ($1.1 million), Kutter Crawford ($2.75 million), Casas ($1.7 million), Romy Gonzalez ($1.8 million), and Wong ($1.6 million) should be easy to sign without needing arbitration.

Nathaniel Lowe is projected for $13.5 million and will almost certainly be non-tendered.

Could Josh Winckowski ($800,000) be a non-tender to get a 40-man roster spot? He has fallen well down the pitching depth chart.

The Sox hold an $8 million option on Jarren Duran for 2026 with a $500,000 buyout. If they decline, he’d become arbitration eligible and projected for $8.4 million.

▪ That Luis Perales anthem 101 m.p.h. in his first Arizona Fall League game was eye-catching. The 22-year-old righthander threw only 2⅓ innings last season after retuning from Tommy John surgery and is getting some extra work in the AFL.

He could be an interesting bullpen option in spring training.

▪ Here’s one you didn’t expect. At 36, former Red Sox prospect Anthony Ranuado resumed his career after a seven-year break and pitched 11 games for the Independent Chicago Dogs this season.

The righthander, who was a first-round pick in 2010, pitched 15 innings and allowed 11 earned runs while striking out 12.

Ranaudo also owns a collectibles store near LSU, where he played.

Etc.

It has been a good postseason for New England college baseball.

Toronto is through to the ALCS with UConn alum George Springer one of its leaders. Pitching coach Pete Walker, another former Husky, is in his 13th season as Blue Jays pitching coach.

Cam Schlittler (Northeastern) started two games for the Yankees and allowed two earned runs over 14⅓ innings and struck out 14 without a walk. Teammate Ben Rice (Dartmouth) started five games for the Yankees and drove in four runs.

Schlittler is the first pitcher to work 14-plus innings in consecutive postseason starts since Logan Webb of the Giants in 2021.

Sal Frelick (Boston College) is Milwaukee’s right fielder and Aaron Civale (Northeastern) threw 4⅓ innings of scoreless relief for the Cubs in Game 1 of the Division Series against Milwaukee.

Emmet Sheehan (Boston College) has appeared in three games for the Dodgers so far.

Toronto’s John Schneider said this was his first season as a manager, including nine seasons in the minors, that he never called a team meeting. “The players are driving the bus,” Schneider said. “There’s plenty of guys that can kind of steer the ship. This group is really good at just doing the same thing.” A big part of that has been Vladimir Guerrero Jr. becoming comfortable with his status. “When he signed his [$500 million] extension, I think he kind of understood that with that comes a little bit of extra responsibility to the organization, to the city, to the country, and he’s really kind of tackled that head on,” Schneider said. Said Guerrero: “Since the get-go, we were together on this. Yes, we had a slow start at the beginning, but then we got together, we start winning games, and everything went well from there to this point.” … New Rays owner Patrick Zalupski said plans are to have a new ballpark in the Tampa Bay area by Opening Day in 2029 (good luck with that) and that Tropicana Field “is truly going to look better than it ever has” by Opening Day for next season once the hurricane damage is repaired. There will be a new scoreboard and new audio system. The Red Sox don’t play their first series at the Trop until June 8 … At 40, Justin Turner went to the postseason with the Cubs, his first time with a team other than the Dodgers. Turner has a .748 OPS and 37 homers over 365 games for the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Mariners, and Cubs since leaving Los Angeles … If Clayton Kershaw hadn’t already announced his retirement, his performance in Game 3 of the Division Series against the Phillies might have pushed him over the edge. He allowed five runs, four earned, on six hits and three walks in two innings. It was the first time in postseason history a reliever allowed three walks and two home runs in a postseason game and didn’t record a strikeout. Kershaw has allowed 23 earned runs on 38 hits — eight of them home runs — over 30 innings in his last seven postseason games … Aaron Judge was 13 of 26 with three extra-base hits and seven RBIs in seven postseason games. The rest of the Yankees anthem .220 (46 of 209) with 15 extra-base hits and 20 RBIs … Mickey Pina, a Red Sox minor leaguer from 1987-91, passed away last month at 59 according to several former teammates. Pina grew up in Bridgewater, played for Bridgewater-Raynham High, signed with the Sox as an undrafted free agent out of Eckerd College in 1987, and made it to Triple A Pawtucket by 1989. Pina played 299 games in Triple A but never reached the majors. He later played in Mexico and for an independent team in Indiana … The Cape Cod League Hall of Fame induction ceremony is set for Nov. 16 at Wequassett Resort & Golf Club in Harwich. The class includes Gary Alexander (Orleans 1986), Nick Gonzales (Cotuit 2019), Travis Jankowski (Bourne 2010-11), Pat Pinkman (Wareham 1999-2000), longtime coach, manager, and administrator Bob Stead (Yarmouth-Dennis, Bourne), and 1957 batting champion Bill Walker (Chatham). Gary Ellis, a longtime member of the Y-D Red Sox organization is the posthumous recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. Tickets can be purchased by calling Mary Henderson at (508) 922-7388 … Happy birthday to Dick Pole, who will be 75 on Monday. The righthander from Michigan was 14-14 with a 4.56 ERA and one cut for the Red Sox from 1973-76. He also appeared in Game 5 of the 1975 World Series, walking Johnny Bench and Tony Pérez in the eighth inning. Pole was traded to the Mariners before the 1977 season and spent two seasons in Seattle. Pole tried to return to the majors via the Pirates and Tigers but remained in the minors. He turned to coaching and returned to the majors as pitching coach of the 1988 Cubs under Don Zimmer. He also coached with the Giants, Angels, Indians, Reds, and Expos and came back to Boston as bullpen coach in 1998 under Jimy Williams. His last season coaching was in 2009 with the Reds.

Peter Abraham can be reached at peter.abraham@globe.com. Follow him on Bluesky at peteabeglobe.bsky.social‬.