Pat Murphy had just won the World Series when Jake Bauers approached him with a baseball. The Milwaukee Brewers first baseman was carrying the ball from the final out of Game 5. Murphy gave him a hug, then unexpectedly turned the conversation toward the New York Yankees.
The Brewers manager, 67, used “horseshit” to describe Bauers’ former club during an exchange captured by Spectrum News 1 Wisconsin. The camera was recording Milwaukee’s on-field celebration when the conversation took its detour through the Bronx.
Milwaukee had defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 at Tropicana Field on October 28, winning the series in five games and claiming the franchise’s first championship. The Brewers had last reached the Fall Classic in 1982, when they lost to the St. Louis Cardinals.
For Bauers, 31, the celebration arrived with another career decision approaching. He is entering free agency after playing on a one-year, $2.7 million contract, and Murphy expects him to command a much bigger payday.
Bauers Tells Murphy He Won’t Be Easy to Get Rid Of
Murphy accused Yankees players of looking out for themselves and urged Bauers to remember how Milwaukee had done things.
Bauers answered with a joke about staying put. According to UPI, he told Murphy, “you ain’t getting rid of me that easy.” The two shared a laugh during the exchange.
The clubs also spent very different amounts on their rosters. The Big Lead reported a payroll of approximately $146 million for Milwaukee, compared with more than $300 million for New York.
Bauers Hit Career Highs After Struggling in His Yankees Season
Bauers hit .202 with 12 home runs in 84 games for New York in 2023. That November, the Yankees traded him to Milwaukee for minor league outfielders Jace Avina and Brian Sánchez.
The improvement took time. He batted .199 in his first Brewers season and .235 in 2025 before raising that average to .266 this year. His 26 home runs and 86 RBIs were career highs, as were his 127 hits and 144 games played. MLB lists his regular-season OPS at .873.
He then earned National League Championship Series MVP honors as Milwaukee swept the Los Angeles Dodgers. His NLCS included a 12-pitch walk against Yoshinobu Yamamoto and an 11-pitch home run off Blake Snell.
Bauers drove in six runs during that series, but his bat cooled in the World Series, when he went 2 for 21. Across the entire postseason, he hit .191 with one home run.
Murphy Thanks Milwaukee’s Front Office and Honors Robin Yount
“You boys oughta be awfully proud to know that you’re the first ever Milwaukee Brewers team to be World Champs”
The full speech by Pat Murphy to kick off the champagne celebration in the @Brewers clubhouse! https://t.co/HuVnzkYP8r
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 29, 2026
In his clubhouse speech, Murphy thanked general manager Matt Arnold and the front office for assembling the roster. He also praised the players’ leadership and their commitment to the approach he had outlined in spring training, according to ClutchPoints.
The group had finished with a franchise-record 103 regular-season victories, the most in the majors, before winning 11 of its 13 postseason games. Murphy also made room in his speech for an earlier generation, recognizing Hall of Famer Robin Yount, who was there to celebrate with the team.
“It starts back when Robin played, and the way he played the game. That set the tone for the Milwaukee Brewers,” Murphy said.