There's no way Pat Murphy used the Chicago Cubs as an excuse for his team's historically bad NLCS loss, right? The Milwaukee Brewers finished the regular season with the best record in MLB, earned the No. 1 seed in the National League, which gave them home field advantage and a bye in the Wild Card round. But after beating the Cubs in the NLDS, the Brewers produced the worst offensive performance by any team in playoff history and one of the top things on Murphy's mind after being swept was the Cubs.
After taking the first two games at home over the Cubs, the Brewers were perfectly set up to complete a quick sweep and prepare for the NLCS. Instead, Murphy's Brewers dropped two in a row at Wrigley Field before returning to Milwaukee, where they were able to win Game 5 over the Cubs in a 3-1 win. The Brewers were then swept in dominating fashion as the Dodgers held Milwaukee to four runs on 14 hits in four games. Milwaukee recorded the lowest batting average in a best-of-seven series ever in MLB playoff history.
Speaking to reporters after the Dodgers swept the Brewers, Murphy brought up the NLDS series against the Cubs, saying how grueling the five-game series was against the division rival.
Via Matthew Moreno.
Pat Murphy on Brewers needing to play 5 games against the Cubs and then jump right into things with the Dodgers: "You have to have been part of it to understand how it really zapped a lot out of us emotionally. And then to have to come back and play right away -- and we lose a one-run game -- it took us off it a little bit. Then the pitching performances by the Dodgers basically put the hammer down."
So there you have it, directly from Pat Murphy's mouth. What helped to beat the Brewers in the NLCS against the Dodgers? The Cubs and the emotional toll that they put on the Brewers, who couldn't bounce back and proceeded to score four total runs in the next four games. You know, maybe the manager should have done a better job of getting his players focused and not put all their energy into beating one team.
Beating the Cubs in the NLDS really was the Brewers' World Series.
