By Basant El-Faramawy
Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy, 67, guided his team to a five‑game World Series victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, securing the franchise's first championship. The win comes six years after Murphy suffered a heart attack at the ballpark, an episode he later recalled with characteristic humor.
From heart attack to championship
In August 2020, during a workout at American Family Field, Murphy was rushed to the hospital. He remembered the ambulance driver asking for his next of kin, to which he replied, "I'm not going anywhere." He missed much of the pandemic‑shortened season but returned as bench coach and was promoted to manager in November 2023 after Craig Counsell left for the Chicago Cubs.
A career of comebacks
Murphy's path includes a successful college coaching career at Notre Dame and Arizona State, where he won exactly 1,000 games and earned the nickname "Black Hat Pat." An NCAA investigation led to his resignation from Arizona State in 2010 and a one‑year penalty. He then worked in the San Diego Padres organization, serving as interim manager in 2015 before joining Milwaukee as bench coach in 2016.
Unconventional leadership
Known for his blend of charm and cantankerousness, Murphy instituted "The Check Game" — a whiteboard tally for anyone displaying ego over selflessness, including owner Mark Attanasio. Players describe his approach as "iron sharpens iron," and he is unafraid to pull veterans for lack of hustle. He refuses traditional foul‑line handshakes, calling them "happy horse manure," and often digresses in press conferences to topics like necktie history or his Bruce Springsteen tattoos.
Family and philosophy
Murphy has been married three times and has four children: daughter Keli, 40, married to former major leaguer Pedro Alvarez; son Kai, 26, a Padres minor league outfielder; and sons Austin, 11, and Jaxon, 7. He credits his resilience to focusing on family and realizing his role is about elevating others. "I don't know if I'm any good. I just know I have to get better," he said. "I'm under construction, and I've enjoyed the construction project."
