Red Sox Legend Sends Pat Murphy Message Amid Brewers' Deep Playoff Run

The Brew Crew have the Pedroia seal of approval

Oct 9, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy talks to the media before game four of the NLDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox learned firsthand this season how pesky the Milwaukee Brewers can be.

Back in May, the Red Sox went to Milwaukee and suffered a three-game sweep, featuring two walk-offs. That jump-started an insane stretch in which the Brewers played .700 baseball for three months and seized control of the best record in baseball.

Now, as the Red Sox start mulling their offseason pursuits, the Brewers are still playing ball, thanks to an elimination game win over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday night. And their manager, Pat Murphy, deserves all the acclaim he's gotten in his two years at the helm.

Dustin Pedroia's thoughts on Pat Murphy

February 7, 2004; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils shortstop Dustin Pedroia (2) turns the double play against the Florida Seminoles at Packard Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-US Presswire | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Dustin Pedroia played for Murphy at Arizona State before he was drafted by the Red Sox in 2005. As the Brewers are making waves in October, the three-time World Series champion has nothing but effusive praise for his former head coach.

“I’ve known him for 25 years and he’s the same person now as he was then,” Pedroia told Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe. “You can’t manage 18- (to) 21-year-olds the same way you do major leaguers. But for him it’s about how he treats you as a person.

“He talks to Kelli (Pedroia’s wife) more than he talks to me. He gets to know everything about the people around him. I loved playing for him and I was around the Brewers for a few days in spring training. They love it, too.”

Murphy's reputation around the sport is one of tough love. He expects a lot from his players, and occasionally makes a harsh statement by taking one of them out for an in-game mistake. But that style pays dividends if the players can tell how much the coach or manager truly cares about them as people.

After spending nine seasons as the Brewers' bench coach, Murphy got his well-deserved opportunity to manage the club because of Craig Counsell's departure.

He's making the most of that opportunity every day, and if he gets eight more wins, he'll learn the feeling Pedroia knew well during his career -- lifting the World Series trophy.

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