Milwaukee Brewers: Pat Murphy says 2026 club is “starting to grow on me” after fourth straight division crown

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Pat Murphy’s Milwaukee Brewers clinched their fourth straight National League Central title Tuesday night after beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-1 at PNC Park. The division was decided later that night, when the Atlanta Braves beat the Chicago Cubs 6-3 at Wrigley Field.

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Jacob Misiorowski threw five scoreless innings for the win, and Joey Ortiz drove in two runs. Milwaukee is 94-57.

Murphy spoke after the clinch in a video posted by Fox Sports Radio Wisconsin.

Pat Murphy on the wait for the Cubs result

Apr 6, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy (49) reacts during the third inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

The wait on Atlanta and Chicago did not bother Murphy.

“It wasn’t bad, to be honest with you,” Murphy said. “Whatever was going to happen, [we] were going to do this inevitably. We got 11 games to go, and those are important too. We have a lot of games to go. There’s a lot of things to tighten up, but it’s just really gratifying to see the guys know what they’ve achieved and know it’s never been done four years in a row.”

“There’s a bunch of guys in the room, at least four or five, that have done it four years in a row, and I’m just happy for them,” Murphy continued. “And this ’26 club, I’ve said all year long, there hasn’t been a spot where you say, ‘Wow, we’re really special,’ but it’s starting to grow on me.”

The Brewers treated Tuesday’s game as a must-win, Murphy said.

“It was a big one. They knew that,” Murphy added. “Come in here. We haven’t won in here this year very much. To come in here and win like that was great. And, yeah, I’m proud of the guys, man. I’m happy for them.”

Pat Murphy says the Brewers’ youth stands out

Jul 7, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Luis Lara (18) hits a two run single in his Major League debut during the fifth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Milwaukee’s lineup Tuesday included Luis Lara, who drove in two runs, and Garrett Mitchell. The club promoted shortstop Cooper Pratt from Triple-A Nashville in June.

“The youth of the club is amazing,” Murphy said. “When you look at the starting pitching, and you look at the guys you just mentioned, and Mitchell hadn’t played in so long, and Lara and Pratt and Chourio, you’re just looking at youth and the way they play and the expectations that they’ve had and the standards that they’ve set for themselves to play a certain way. It’s never easy to keep doing this.”

“These guys got high hopes,” Murphy continued. “They’re not putting limits on themselves. I’m not saying we’re the greatest club out there, but we’re pretty special.”

Pat Murphy on Jacob Misiorowski and the Brewers rotation

Sep 15, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (32) pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the second inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Misiorowski improved to 15-5 on Tuesday and lowered his ERA to 1.89. Murphy said it made sense that his ace was on the mound on clinch night.

“It makes sense,” Murphy said. “And he was great again tonight. He’s just matured so much. And that’s another thing that’s just so gratifying to see these young people step into a new way of doing things. He got stronger. He’s way more mature. He got really consistent, and he’s still really consistent.”

Logan Henderson, Kyle Harrison, Shane Drohan and Robert Gasser drew credit from Murphy as well.

“Not to be outdone by Henderson, really, because Henderson, he’s been just as consistent,” Murphy added. “Harrison for a long time, Drohan for a long time, Gasser now has been really consistent, and that’s what we’re looking for.”

Ortiz went 3-for-4 Tuesday and explained afterward how Milwaukee keeps winning the division. Murphy singled him out, along with Brice Turang and Jackson Chourio.

“That’s an unbelievable thing that’s happening, is seeing Joey Ortiz just come on and play like that,” Murphy said. “Now, we’re not surprised [by] Chourio, because Chourio is the budding star. But to see Turang, he’s just getting better and better. He’s a baseball rat who loves it. But to have those guys, guys like Garrett, it’s just been really fun to watch.”

Pat Murphy picks the Dodgers series as the Brewers’ pivotal moment

Apr 15, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy walks back to the dugout after making a pitching change in the seventh inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Murphy listed several turning points. They included the club’s first trip to Chicago, a series against the Cubs a couple of weeks ago and the Yankees series. Milwaukee swept the New York Yankees at American Family Field in May and swept the Cubs at home last week.

“We kind of strolled into Chicago the first time,” Murphy said. “We kind of strolled in and played well for three straight days, and people started turning heads, like, ‘Wait a minute, maybe these guys aren’t so young. Maybe this pitching will hold up.'”

His pick came in August. San Diego swept Milwaukee at Petco Park from Aug. 10-12, and the Brewers went 3-for-28 with runners in scoring position. Murphy held a team meeting after the finale, a 4-3 loss in 11 innings.

The Brewers then took three of four at Dodger Stadium and secured the season series against Los Angeles.

“If I was to pick one, we get swept by the Padres in San Diego, and all three games could have went our way,” Murphy said. “Everything we did backfired. Then we go to L.A. We don’t have Turang. We played Vaughn at third base. We played Gary Sanchez at first base … And we beat the Dodgers, whatever it was, three out of four.”

“That, to me, was a pivotal moment,” Murphy continued. “Like, hey, there’s something special about this group.”

Milwaukee and Pittsburgh continue the series Wednesday at 5:40 p.m. CT, with Henderson lined up to start.

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