Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy says he regrets his recent comments to Jake Bauers about the New York Yankees, adding that he didn't intend to "slander" the Bronx Bombers.
Murphy addressed his anti-Yankees barb with the New York Post's "The Show" podcast, which posted its interview with the Milwaukee manager Tuesday, six days after the Brewers won the first World Series title in franchise history.
As he celebrated with Bauers on the field after the Brewers' series-clinching Game 5 victory, Murphy mentioned "that horses--- Yankees team" where "you guys were all playing for yourself." The moment was captured on video and went viral last week.
Murphy told "The Show" that he contacted Brian Cashman and had a "good conversation" with the longtime Yankees general manager.
"I called Brian Cashman right away when I heard [my comments] got out," said Murphy, who added that he didn't realize he was "on a hot mic" during his exchange with Bauers.
"I tried to explain that I wasn't talking about the 2026 Yankees. I was just referring to the teams with a lot of money that sign a lot of players that sometimes end up not being that 'Little Engine that Could,' so to speak -- more of a high expectation, 'I gotta get mine.' I regret saying it."
Bauers, who played for the Yankees in 2023, caught the final out in Milwaukee's 4-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. The brief conversation with Murphy started as the Brewers were celebrating on the field at Tropicana Field and Bauers presented Murphy with the ball from the series-clinching play.
"You're going to be a rich f---er," Murphy told Bauers, who is scheduled to become a free agent this offseason. "Just remember when you were on that horses--- Yankees team and you guys were all playing for yourself? Just remember, say, 'This is the way we used to do it.'"
Murphy told "The Show" that those remarks were consistent with the "rhetoric" he used with Bauers throughout Milwaukee's championship run.
"After every celebration, I'd shake his hand and I'd say, 'You rich so-and-so, you're going to leave us,'" Murphy said. "We're not going to be able to pay you. You're going to leave us, and you're going to forget all about how we did things. ... I would just give him this rhetoric every time."
Bauers enjoyed a breakout 2026 season, his third in Milwaukee since being traded to the Brewers by the Yankees in November 2023. He appeared in 84 games with New York that year, batting .202 with 12 home runs and 95 strikeouts in 272 plate appearances.
But Bauers has rejuvenated his career with the Brewers and posted career bests in virtually every offensive category in 2026, including batting average (.266), homers (26), RBIs (86) and OPS (.874). He was named MVP of Milwaukee's National League Championship Series victory over the Dodgers after batting .286 with six RBIs in the Brewers' four-game series sweep.
As for the Yankees, Murphy reiterated that he merely meant to reference a high-payroll team and that he was not singling them out.
"I felt horribly if I slandered the Yankees, because I was just kind of referring to them as this iconic machine. ... It wasn't smart on my part, and I'm sorry about it," he said.