For the World Series, we’re bringing you some of the key quotes and storylines from each game following the postgame press conference.
Pat Murphy
The Brewers erased an early 4-0 deficit to win 5-4 and take a 2-0 series lead. Murphy again spent most of the press conference discussing what impressed him most, including rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt. Pratt made an error on the first play of the game that snowballed into the Rays’ four-run first inning, but he bounced back to deliver a go-ahead RBI single
in the bottom of the seventh.
“That speaks to Cooper, what type of individual he is, being able to hang in there when things didn’t go great for him early, even early in that at-bat. That guy is super tough on right-handers. For him to put that ball in play, we spent a lot of time on that reliever and talking about how to face him. He’s outstanding, and Coop just put together a great at-bat, a great teacher for every young person in the room that the game doesn’t start a certain way, doesn’t mean it has to end that way.”
As a follow-up, Murphy was asked about this team’s mentality and its ability to come back from deficits over and over again:
“We’re down to the end of the season here. They’re going to tap us on the shoulder here at some point and tell us no more. Guys just, they don’t give up. They believe, and they don’t give up. They just keep going. That’s a great club across the way, it really is.”
In a game full of quality at-bats, Murphy shouted out several, starting with Brice Turang.
“His day didn’t start exactly the way he wanted. He had a line drive caught, but he put together four quality ABs today. Numerous guys (did). Sal put together four quality (at-bats), hit four balls on the screws today. Bauers put together quality (at-bats). Chourio gets two knocks. Contreras two knocks.”
Another at-bat Murphy highlighted was William Contreras’ RBI single in the first inning.
“It’s a huge at-bat. Huge at-bat. We set (Contreras up), and he came through with a knock, and then Mitchell got a big knock. That first inning meant something that we bounced back against a pitcher that good. I mean, that guy (Rays starter Drew Rasmussen), he’s as good as there is out there. We got his pitch count up and got him out of there.”
Murphy had high praise for Aaron Ashby, who pitched the final 1 2/3 innings of the win, comparing him to legendary relievers Goose Gossage and Rollie Fingers.
“He does what it takes. It’s unconventional. Multiple innings in relief. It’s Goose Gossage-like. I guess we had a guy like that here too, Rollie.”
He was also asked about starting pitcher Logan Henderson, who gave up four runs (three earned) in that first inning.
“I think he was a little jittery again in the first inning. I think in his mind he thinks he’s tired because it’s the end of the year and it’s a lot, but this is where you’ve got to learn that lesson that you’ve got a lot left. You pick yourself up. You’ve got a lot left. He’s got to come to that realization because we need him going forward.”
Finally, Murphy was asked if he’s a “big Sal fan,” referring to Frelick. Murphy responded by saying he named his son’s dog Sal.
Sal Frelick and Cooper Pratt
Frelick, who hit the game-tying home run in the sixth, and Pratt, who hit a go-ahead single in the seventh, broke down their performances after the game.
Frelick on his approach against Tampa Bay reliever Ian Seymour prior to the home run:
“He’s pretty much a sinker guy. Was fouling them off. Missed a few good ones. And then late in the at-bat, he started throwing four seams and kind of caught me by surprise. Was able to spoil a few of those and was just really hoping, because I had seen the sinker earlier, that he would maybe leave one over the plate, and yeah, he did.”
Pratt on baseball being a redemptive game:
“I need to be better defensively, but it’s always awesome when you have an opportunity to kind of redeem yourself and make up for it. Yeah, probably wasn’t the best swing, but it did the job and gave us the opportunity to score a run. I’m not going to complain.”
Frelick on this team’s comeback mentality:
“It seems like we’ve had a lot of experience with it in the postseason so far. It feels like kind of down early almost every game so far. I’m not sure what the actual numbers are on that. Our offense is built to kind of chip away and wear on pitchers, which I think can be good when you’re trying to come back. At the same time, if we’re up, it’s the same exact approach.
I think just having an offense built like that is really good for when you’re down. Again, today we go down four. We know how good that guy (Rasmussen) is over there. Let’s just wear on him, see if we can get him out of the game, get to their bullpen and really break the thing open.”
Frelick on being a competitor:
“I don’t know, I just grew up playing a ton of different sports. I wasn’t always the most gifted athlete. Murph will tell you firsthand that it’s never pretty watching me take a swing or run or field or whatever it might be. I just always felt like that was where I was able to get my edge was just kind of turn everything into a competition. Put myself in the box and iso me and the pitcher. Or on defense, just iso me and the ball. How can I beat it?
I just feel like that’s how I’ve always played. I know Murph always tells me I can’t look flashy, I can’t look cool. That’s not me. He doesn’t want that. Not that I do either, but I’m glad that he allows me to play that way.”
And Frelick on Pratt:
“Just to highlight this guy real quick… has a little mistake early in the game, doesn’t slam a glove, doesn’t hang his head, nothing. Comes off the field and later in the game has a big at-bat and maybe swings at a ball or two, locks it back in. This is a rookie, like people forget. This is our shortstop. This is a rookie, and we trust him. I just hope that if there’s people, young kids watching, that was just really cool for me to see. Coop has grown up a lot — I don’t know if you would have done that maybe your first game, but it’s cool to see.
I just hope everybody understands how hard that is, especially in the moment. All you want to do is throw something or get mad, but you’ve got four at-bats. I was just proud of that.”
Frelick and Pratt on whether they thought Frelick’s deep fly out in the seventh inning had a chance to make it over the fence:
FRELICK: “Did you think it was gone?”
PRATT: “I thought it had a chance or at least off the wall.”
FRELICK: “I’ve never hit a homer that I thought was gone, so, no, I didn’t.” (Laughter.)
PRATT: “It looked good off the bat.”
