Milwaukee’s Pat Murphy is the NL Manager of the Year for the second straight season.
Murphy received 27 of 30 first-place votes in balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, beating out Philadelphia’s Rob Thomson and Cincinnati’s Terry Francona. The results were announced on Tuesday night.
The last NL manager to win the award in consecutive seasons was Bobby Cox for Atlanta in 2004 and 2005.
Cleveland’s Steven Vogt, Toronto’s John Schneider and Seattle’s Dan Wilson are the finalists for the AL honor. Voting was conducted before the postseason.
The Cy Young Award winner for each league will be announced on Wednesday, and the MVPs are revealed on Thursday.
Murphy directed Milwaukee to a major league-best 97-65 record this year, setting a franchise record for wins. The Brewers were in second in the NL Central in early July before overtaking the Chicago Cubs with a remarkable 29-4 stretch that included a 14-game winning streak, another franchise record.
Milwaukee eliminated Chicago in a memorable NL Division Series before it was swept by the Dodgers in the NLCS. The five-game victory over the rival Cubs was the Brewers’ first postseason series win since sweeping Colorado in a 2018 NLDS.
The folksy Murphy, who turns 67 on Nov. 28, was Milwaukee’s bench coach for eight seasons, then was promoted after Craig Counsell left for the Cubs in November 2023. The Brewers also won the NL Central in Murphy’s first season in charge, finishing 93-69.
Murphy had a long college coaching that included stints at Notre Dame and Arizona State, before serving as a special assistant with the San Diego Padres for the 2010 season. He went 42-54 as the interim manager of the Padres in 2015.
Thomson led the Phillies to a 96-66 record and a second straight NL East title this year. He finished fifth in NL Manager of the Year voting in 2024.
The 66-year-old Francona guided Cincinnati to an NL wild card for its first playoff appearance since 2020. The three-time AL Manager of the Year was hired by the Reds in October 2024.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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