Brewers - 3, Rays - 2
Q. In the postseason, these teams are really making Miz battle. What did you think of the way he did battle? A little more contact than usual, not many strikeouts, but still one run. Is he just learning how to handle tougher games?
PAT MURPHY: I thought -- I've mentioned it a million times. I thought Miz was great tonight. What we're used to seeing in the regular season was Miz just mow through people and have two strikeouts an inning.
That's unrealistic. This is the best team in the American League. They proved that during the regular season and proved that in the postseason so far. One of the ways they do that is to make contact better than anybody in baseball.
For Miz to go five innings the way he did, give up only a few hard contacts, only walked one guy, I think didn't give up any free bases -- Contreras was incredible. If anybody doesn't notice the contributions of Contreras, he was the player of the game. We had a lot of good performances, a lot of good things.
Chourio, what can you say? Yelich's big hit, adding a run with a leadoff walk and Chourio's hit. But Contreras was unbelievable. The two caught stealings, the ABS, the hits, calling the game.
Our pitching staff, Miz was great, Uribe especially good, Ashby continues, and Megill was really good. He had some adversity, two hits and a walk, but yeah. William was special.
Q. What did you think of that ending? Was it an unusual ending, especially for a World Series game?
PAT MURPHY: That's the rule. The rule is you can challenge, and they challenged, and they ruled that the runner was safe. They got it right probably.
A lot of times those plays stand during the year, but I'm sure now they have every angle, and they took their time and got it right. Megill kept his composure.
We talk about it all the time. When there's a challenge, do not walk off the mound. Kept his composure, and that was the biggest at-bat of the game.
Q. Does it maybe make you miss the neighborhood play a little bit or just not on this type of stage?
PAT MURPHY: No, we want to get it right, man. We'll be doing the checked swing there later on. The obstruction play will be replayed. MLB makes rule changes for the better. They just do. Then things happen, and then they make another adjustment and another adjustment.
Let's get it right. Let's not call the neighborhood play. What is the neighborhood? How big is your neighborhood? I think they got it right.
Even if we gave up two runs there and we lose the game and we're sitting here and we're all dejected, the rule is put in place for the right reason, to get it right. I don't know if they got it right. I'm assuming they did. There's a lot of people that have better vision than I.
Q. Jackson is already the postseason like leader in RBIs. What did you see from him, and how much can he grow and keep surprising you?
PAT MURPHY: He's not surprising anybody. You pull anybody that's played against us recently, and they will say Jack Jack is real. That's real. He did it last postseason. He's special. He's got special ability to compete at the big time. He's poised. The last AB is the last AB. He's ready every time.
The kid is continuing to do this (indicating up), and it's scary.
Q. The first inning, you've had so many come-from-behind victories, but to be able to jump on them with three hits in the first four at-bats, how did that set the tone, get the crowd into it, and allow your guys to settle in?
PAT MURPHY: We had three good hits in the first inning off Martinez, who then settled in and pitched unbelievably. I mean, he was great.
But that's why they're the best team in the American League because they can pitch, they can defend, they can beat you in a lot of different ways. But that first inning, jumping out and being ready after an eight-day layoff -- now, we did not play great. You can look back and we made a base running mistake, we made an execution mistake. We made a defensive mistake. We weren't perfect.
But after being off for some time, I'm pleased we came out in the first inning ready to go. And our fans, that's what makes a difference. Did you guys like the crowd? Was that amazing?
CHILD ON DAIS: It was awesome. It was sick. It was really fun to be there.
PAT MURPHY: What did you think? Was the crowd good?
CHILD ON DAIS: Yeah, but everyone was standing up.
PAT MURPHY: Did you tell everybody to sit down, I don't want to stand the whole game?
Q. With William, he's been playing in the postseason every year since he came up to the Big Leagues. He had WBC experience as well. How much did that experience help him grow into the player he is now, and how much does his leadership mean to this ball club?
PAT MURPHY: If people aren't noticing Contreras, like he was maybe the MVP, like should have been co-MVPs. He was maybe MVP of the Dodgers series. He was maybe MVP of the Padres series. I don't think they pick one for that, do they?
But this guy has been incredible, and he does both sides of the ball. And the side that you can't measure, I don't know what his numbers are, but he does so much for the team. He's incredible. That's all I could tell you. He's incredible. We wouldn't be in the position we're in without Contreras.
Is he there? I don't want to say that in front of him because I don't want him to know that I think that.
Q. Abner's first time out since his shaky performance in Los Angeles. What did you think of him? How did he look, his composure?
PAT MURPHY: Incredible. It was the best I've seen him in a while, really special. You've got to remember he pitched every single game in the postseason. Maybe it was our fault we pitched him too much, you know, but we might do it again.
Q. In the ninth as you watch the TV crews run on the field, the smoke go off, and then the replays, what are you saying to each other in the dugout at that point as you're watching them?
PAT MURPHY: I was asking the person who takes the replay, safe or out, safe or out, safe or out? He's like he's out, he's out, he's out. Well, maybe he might be. Then I just tell Megill start throwing. I just recite like, hey, you know what? Respond, respond, respond.
Q. Are you worried at all that the players --
PAT MURPHY: Worry is a waste of time.
Q. That the players might have an emotional letdown when they go back out there after that?
PAT MURPHY: But that's when you talk about, when the rule comes out, like hey -- it's like ABS. ABS, they challenge, and it's a strike three, and you're walking off the mound and the guy challenges, like oh. It's a big -- you've got to control it a little bit, and Megill did.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports