Brewers' Pat Murphy Has Striking Reflection On Beatdown From Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani

Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy knows his team ran into a buzzsaw.

On the eve of the World Series, in which the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers are getting set to do battle with the Toronto Blue Jays, Murphy closed the book on a season that saw the Brewers put up the best record in Major League Baseball during the regular season, only to be swept out of the National League Championship Series.

The Dodgers played fantastic baseball for four games, and Murphy was happy to give them credit. At the same time, he was critical of how Milwaukee performed when he reflected on the series during the Brewers' season-ending press conference.

Murphy talks Dodgers, Ohtani after season ends

Oct 18, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Alex Call (12) cheers from the dugout as two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) rounds the bases after hitting his third solo home run of the game during the seventh inning in game five of the NLCS in the 2025 MLB playoffs against the Milwaukee Brewers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

"I felt that we did not put our best foot forward in that series, and I think it would have made some difference, but the Dodgers were on it. And you know when a team is on it,” Murphy said, per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.

"I think the Cubs series just emotionally took so much out of them, and then to have to come back (after one day off) and play (the Dodgers) was difficult on the guys. But that’s another learning situation for us, so here we go.”

And while during the series, Murphy complimented Dodgers star Blake Snell by saying he "makes more money than our entire pitching staff," he made no references to money or stardown while describing the beatdown Shohei Ohtani put on his team in Game 4.

"Let everybody else enjoy the historic moment,” Murphy said, per McCalvy. “It looked like the big 12-year-old in a Little League game, and he hits three homers and punches out everybody. It didn’t feel that good.”

It all sounds a lot different from when Murphy was boasting that the Dodgers probably didn't know the names of the players on his team a couple of weeks ago. It's not as if Los Angeles needed the Brewers to play up the underdog act to come out and thump them, but it's doubtful that extra bulletin board material hurt their cause.

At the end of the day, the Brewers got humbled. Sometimes, that's necessary for an ascending team to eventually rise to championship prominence. We'll see someday if this beatdown plays a role in a long-awaited success story.

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