milwaukee brewers Manager Pat Murphy grew up attending minor league games at MacArthur Stadium in Syracuse, New York. In those days, the local team tried to retrieve all the baseballs that went over the fence during batting practice, but Murphy would grab a souvenir or two before escaping.
Often followed by Bobby Cox or a member of his staff.
That long-standing relationship was on full display Tuesday night when Murphy won NL Manager of the Year for the second consecutive season. The only other NL manager to earn the honor in consecutive years was Cox. atlanta In 2004 and 2005.
cleveland‘S Stefan Vogt He was also a repeat winner as AL Manager of the Year, receiving 17 out of 30 first-place votes in voting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. torontoJohn Schneider of K received 10 votes for first place and came in second place seattleDan Wilson.
The poll was conducted before the postseason.
The last AL manager to have consecutive winning seasons was Tampa BayKevin Cash in 2020 and 2021.
Murphy said of Vogt, “He’s qualified. Does a great job with his club.” “He’s going to be a Hall of Fame manager, I really believe that.”
Murphy got 27 votes in first place. cincinnatiTerry Francona was second, followed by philadelphiaRob Thomson.
The charming Murphy, who turns 67 on Nov. 28, was coaching at Arizona State University when he formally introduced himself to Cox in the early 2000s.
“I said, ‘I’ve always wanted to meet you,’ and he looked at me, and he said, ‘So now you have,'” Murphy said, laughing. “And it was dead silent. I feel like, I don’t know if this guy is messing with me or what, but I interrupted something.”
Vogt led Cleveland to its second consecutive AL Central title in his second year at the helm. The 41-year-old played in the big leagues for 10 years, then retired after the 2022 season. He had a one-year stint as Seattle’s bullpen coach and was hired by the Guardians in November 2023.
Cleveland trailed Detroit by 15½ games in early July, and trailed by 11 games in early September and came back to clinch the division title on the final day of the regular season. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the largest postseason comeback in Major League Baseball history.
The Guardians became the fourth major league team to reach the playoffs despite losing at least 10 games during the regular season, joining in 2017. dodgersThe 1982 Braves and the 1951 New York Giants. Vogt’s club fell 10 times in a row from June 26 to July 6.
“The message was that we can’t control yesterday, and we can’t control tomorrow either,” Vogt said. “We’ve got to rely on today. We’ve got to win the game today and then we’ll worry about tomorrow, tomorrow. I think that was really a mantra that we all had.”
Cleveland went on its big September outing when closer Emmanuel Clase and starting pitcher Luis Ortiz were placed on non-disciplinary paid leave as a part of the season. MLB investigation into sports betting,
When asked what he will remember when he looks back on this season, Vogt pointed to the team’s resiliency.
He said, “It’s one thing to come back and play well down the stretch and lose, but we were able to come back and win the division and get to the playoffs.”
Murphy guided Milwaukee to a major-league-best 97–65 record this season, setting a franchise record for wins. The Brewers were in second place in early July before being overtaken by the NL Central chicago cubs With a remarkable 29–4 stretch, which included a 14-game winning streak, another franchise record.
Milwaukee eliminated Chicago in a memorable Division Series before being defeated by the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series. The five-game victory over the rival Cubs was the Brewers’ first postseason series win since sweeping the Cubs. colorado In the 2018 NLDS.
“We had a say in who was who,” Murphy said. “We’ve got guys who are aware and hungry, and that makes the manager look good at the end of the day.”
Murphy was Milwaukee’s bench coach for eight seasons before being promoted in November 2023 after Craig Council left for the Cubs. The Brewers also won the NL Central in Murphy’s first season in charge, finishing with a 93–69 record.
Murphy had a long coaching career at the college level before serving as a special assistant at San Diego Padres For the 2010 season. He went 42-54 as the Padres’ interim manager in 2015.
