On orders from manager Pat Murphy, Milwaukee Brewers left-handed pitcher Colton Gordon went to the upper deck of American Family Field during a simulated game to investigate supposed opposing scouts. The scouts turned out to be a statue of Hall of Famer announcer Bob Uecker in Section 422, a prank that left Gordon laughing and the team in on the joke.
It is the kind of playfulness that endears the 67-year-old Murphy to his team as it attempts to win the first World Series in franchise history. But there is another side to the skipper. He is the same manager who said he wished he could tase a player who got thrown out going from first to third. That yin and yang has become a question often asked about the front-runner for his third consecutive NL Manager of the Year award: is it all an act?
A Brewers coach said there is more beneath the clowning. Reliever DL Hall recalled a line Murphy delivered around the start of the playoffs, after a grueling 162-game regular season: "If you're tired, take a nap. If you're weak, get stronger." Christian Yelich said Murphy means what he says in the dugout, and Murphy rarely waits until the end of a game to address mistakes. Pitcher Chad Patrick recalled being publicly called out after giving up runs to the Cubs, a moment he now laughs about.
According to those who have worked around him, there is a method behind the methods. Much of it is about accountability, but the real secret to the Brewers' success may be that players know what is expected of them before things go wrong.
Source: ESPN MLB · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing