Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy delivered a sharp critique of the New York Yankees while celebrating the franchise’s first World Series title Wednesday night, moments after first baseman Jake Bauers handed him the ball from the final out.
Closer Trevor Megill induced a groundout from Richie Palacios to seal a 4-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 5 at Tropicana Field, clinching the series 4-1. Bauers secured the ball, then presented it to Murphy on the field.
Murphy embraced the pending free agent and turned the conversation toward free agency and team culture.
“You’re going to be a rich [expletive],” Murphy told Bauers. “Just remember, when you’re on that horse [expletive] Yankees team and you guys are all playing for yourselves, just remember this is the way we used to do it.”
Bauers, who spent part of 2023 with the Yankees before a November trade to Milwaukee, replied in part, “You ain’t getting rid of me that easy.”
Murphy Highlights Team Unity After Title
The exchange underscored Murphy’s emphasis on collective effort over individual concerns. After the game, he noted that few outside the organization had expected much from the club.
“We didn’t get picked to win the division by one outlet. We didn’t get picked to win over 85 games by anybody… but those fans of ours, they picked us,” Murphy said.
The Milwaukee Brewers finished 103-59, the best record in Major League Baseball and a franchise high. The club ranked near the bottom of the league in home runs yet advanced through the postseason with an 11-2 record.
“This group of guys right here, the 2026 team, will be remembered forever — and they deserve that because they were a team,” Murphy said. “They’re not worried about their own stats. No one cares about that. They care about coming together and winning tonight.”
Murphy later added that the roster “decided to be uncommon” and focused on each other, saying that approach allowed them to accomplish anything.
Bauers Delivers Career Year Before Free Agency
Bauers, 31, posted career highs of .266/.389/.484 with 26 home runs and 86 RBIs across 144 games. He signed a one-year, $2.7 million deal last November to avoid arbitration and will become a free agent this offseason.
In 2023 with the Yankees, he appeared in 84 games and hit .202 with 12 home runs. New York finished 82-80 and missed the playoffs that season.
Bauers earned NLCS MVP honors after the Brewers swept the Los Angeles Dodgers. He hit a go-ahead home run off Blake Snell in Game 3 of that series.
Milwaukee’s title run included a division series victory over the San Diego Padres and the Dodgers sweep before the series against the Rays. William Contreras was named World Series MVP after batting .381.
The Milwaukee Brewers carried one of the lower payrolls in the league yet overcame preseason skepticism that limited most projections to under 85 wins. Murphy’s comments added to past criticisms of the Yankees following the 2024 World Series, when Dodgers players made similar remarks after defeating New York.
Bauers went 2-for-21 in the World Series but remained a key contributor throughout Milwaukee’s postseason. Free agency opens soon, with several other Brewers also set to hit the market.
Brewers’ Pat Murphy Takes Brutal Shot at Yankees After World Series