Pat Murphy criticises 2023 Yankees during Brewers World Series celebrations

Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy criticised the 2023 New York Yankees while celebrating his team's World Series championship, the Guardian reported on Thursday. His comments came in a recorded conversation with Jake Bauers, who played for New York before joining Milwaukee. The Brewers had clinched the title on Wednesday night, completing a season in which Bauers produced career-best offensive numbers.

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In the video, Murphy used profanity to describe the Yankees side and accused its players of prioritising themselves. He also told Bauers, who was approaching free agency, that he expected him to earn a lucrative contract. Those remarks were Murphy's assessment during the celebrations, not an announcement of a deal or a confirmed indication of where Bauers would play next.

Bauers appeared in 84 games for the Yankees in 2023, batting .202 and hitting 12 home runs before subsequently being traded to Milwaukee. New York finished fourth in the American League East that year and failed to qualify for the postseason. According to the Guardian, it was the Yankees' first season without a playoff appearance since 2016, providing the background to Murphy's criticism of that particular team.

The numbers from Bauers' 2026 regular season with Milwaukee were substantially stronger. He hit .266 with 26 home runs and an .874 OPS, with each of those figures representing a career best, the Guardian reported. His contribution also extended into the postseason: Bauers was named the National League Championship Series Most Valuable Player as the Brewers swept the Los Angeles Dodgers.

That series victory sent Milwaukee to the World Series for the first time since 1982. Murphy's exchange with Bauers took place after the Brewers had gone on to win the championship, bringing together the manager's criticism of the player's former club and praise for his prospects following a successful season in Milwaukee.

Murphy was not the only Brewer to direct comments towards another franchise during the celebrations. Pitcher Trevor Megill addressed Milwaukee's fans in an interview with MLB reporter Ben Verlander, encouraging them to enjoy bragging rights over Chicago after the championship. The Guardian reported both exchanges as part of the reaction to Milwaukee's World Series victory.