Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy may have cost his team a chance at the World Series

Through Tuesday night, the Milwaukee Brewers cruised through the 2026 Major League Baseball playoffs.

They had won eight straight games against the San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays. The hottest team in baseball in the second half of the season, a powerful, star-studded, expensive team that won 100 games, and the best team in the American League that also won 98 games.

It seemed like every move manager Pat Murphy made worked perfectly. Better than perfectly. When they started light utility infielder David Hamilton, he hit a home run off Edwin Diaz to give the Brewers an insurance run in the ninth inning of a deciding Game 4 in the NLCS. Sal Frelick was perfectly positioned to run a 106 mph line to right center field as Freddie Freeman left, potentially changing the course of Game 2.

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Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy speaks to the media before Game 4 of the National Baseball League Championship Series between the Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Aaron Ashby, a very good reliever, had become the best reliever in playoff history. Better than Mariano Rivera, better than Kenley Jansen, or Billy Wagner, or other elite pitchers. His 18 scoreless innings to start the postseason set a new baseball record. Robert Gasser, an average to below-average starter, had allowed just one run in 15 innings, despite a few swings, misses or strikeouts.

In Game 4 of the World Series, Hamilton, who hit only four home runs in the regular season, hit another to tie the score at two. Then, rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt hit a go-ahead homer in the top of the 12th inning, putting the Brewers three outs away from clinching their first-ever championship.

If that doesn’t sum up Milwaukee’s playoff run, it’s hard to imagine what would. But at the end of the 12th grade, everything fell apart in the blink of an eye. Junior Caminero arrived on an error. Liam Hicks singled, sending Caminero to third. Jonny DeLuca tied it with a single to center. Chandler Simpson singled to load the bases. Then Ben Williamson finished with a very Brewers-like hit, a ground ball to the right side that took a huge bounce over first base to reach the outfield.

Innings like that happen all the time in baseball. An error to start the round, followed by a quick spiral. There are a few well-placed hits, a lucky bounce goes the opposing team’s way, and before you know it, two points have been scored and the game is over. But what made this result particularly frustrating for Milwaukee was that it might not have been necessary.

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Cooper Pratt of the Milwaukee Brewers celebrates his RBI double during the fourth inning of Game 4 of the World Series of Baseball, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla., between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

The Brewers had Antonio Senzatela on the mound to start the inning, then replaced him with little-used reliever Shane Drohan. Drohan hadn’t pitched since October 15, when he gave up a run to the Dodgers in the NLCS. He had only pitched once in a competitive game in the past month. From the looks of it, Murphy had few other choices, since all of his top relievers had already been used. Aaron Ashby went two innings. Trevor Megill was used for only one out. DL Hall had pitched, as had Abner Uribe and JoJo Romero.

And it’s easy to guess, knowing the outcome, but there was another option to get the final three outs against the heart of Tampa Bay’s lineup: likely NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob Misiorowski.

Misiorowski was scheduled to start the game on Wednesday, which complicated the decision somewhat, but there is one guaranteed way to avoid having to worry about Game 5: win Game 4 with three outs remaining. After the match, Murphy explained his thoughts on going to Drohan about his young ace. Which wasn’t great.

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Per Brewers beat reporter Curt Hogg, Murphy said Misiorowski wasn’t an option he wanted to burn in a one-run extra inning game when the Brewers had a 3-0 series lead.

As for Game 5, Murphy added that it’s now all hands on deck for Milwaukee.

“Yes, it’s all hands on deck,” he said. “You can write it down and hope they perform like the back of their baseball card, but that doesn’t always happen. You follow what you believe is the deal. I trust our guys. I trust them. They put themselves in a position to win.”

Here’s the thing: you don’t need all hands on deck if you win game 4.

Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers pitches during Game 1 of the 2026 World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays at American Family Field on Friday, October 23, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (MLB photos via Getty Images)

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There are two schools of thought here, and again, it’s easy to guess in hindsight. The first is that Drohan, any reliever, has a very good chance of getting three outs against Liam Hicks, Jonny DeLuca and Chandler Simpson. The other? You’re three outs away from winning the World Series and you have arguably the best pitcher on the planet to end the game. It’s not worth worrying about tomorrow, rest, or the risk of injury if you win the World Series right in front of you.

Yes, that would be out of Misiorowski’s comfort zone, but that’s exactly what happened. Instead of scheduling your parade in downtown Milwaukee this weekend, you’re going to Game 5.

The Brewers are still the big favorites to win the series, and especially to win Game 5 with Misiorowski on the mound. But they used all of their high-leverage relievers, and given Ashby’s drop in velocity toward the end of his outing, their suddenly untouchable super multi-inning reliever might not be available. If the bullpen falters again in Game 5, you’re looking at heading home for a Game 6. And Tampa’s story is starting to seem a little more possible.

Instead of a title, Milwaukee now faces a little more uncertainty. Murphy forgot the golden rule of World Series baseball: Flags fly forever.