Brewers Manager Pat Murphy Takes Shot at Dodgers After Win

Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy took a shot at the Los Angeles Dodgers after they swept them in the National League Championship Series.

In what was an upset, the Brewers defeated the Dodgers 6-4 in Game 4 on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles to sweep the best-of-seven series 4-0.

The Brewers now await the winner of the American League Championship Series between the Cleveland Guardians and the Tampa Bay Rays. The Guardians currently have a 2-1 lead in that best-of-seven series.

Speaking after his young, scrappy, and lower-payroll Brewers team won the NL pennant, Murphy — the reigning two-time NL Manager of the Year — took a shot at the Dodgers and their expensive roster of All-Star veterans.

"They may have a bunch of Hall of Famers, but we have a bunch of gamers, and the gamers won this week," Murphy said.

Brewers Payroll Lagged in Comparison to Dodgers

Per The Sporting News, the Dodgers had the No. 2 payroll in MLB this season at $339.32 million, while the Brewers were 19th at $146.21 million. However, the Dodgers also had several players on deferred salaries, and they are paying a massive amount of money in luxury tax, so the financial gap is even greater between these two ballclubs.

However, the Brewers still managed to dethrone the Dodgers, who had won the last two World Series trophies in MLB. This was akin to David topping Goliath in many ways, and there are likely many fans outside of Los Angeles tonight who are thrilled that this lower-payroll Brewers ballclub was able to not only defeat the pricey Dodgers, but sweep them.

Now, the Brewers will be looking to win the first World Series in franchise history when they take on either the Guardians or the Rays in this year's finals.

Since that series is still ongoing for at least a few more days, the Brewers will be able to get a little bit of rest before they enter the World Series, which could allow their arms to recover as Milwaukee and Murphy look to capture the 2026 MLB World Series trophy this postseason.