Dominant numbers made the injury setback easier to overlook.
Pat Murphy received his third consecutive National League Manager of the Year award while recovering from hip replacement surgery in a hospital bed. At 67, he became the first manager in MLB history to win the National League honor three years in a row.
The voting reflected strong support from the Baseball Writers' Association of America, with 20 of 30 first-place votes going to Murphy. Atlanta's Walt Weiss finished second with seven, while Philadelphia's Don Mattingly received one and San Diego's Craig Stammen collected two.
Back-to-back winners had appeared before, but no manager had reached a third straight victory. Bobby Cox accomplished consecutive wins in 2004-2005, Kevin Cash followed in 2020-2021, and Cleveland's Stephen Vogt claimed American League honors in 2024-2025.
Milwaukee's franchise-record 103 victories formed the basis of the selection. Because voting closed after the regular season, the Brewers' World Series championship played no part in the decision.
Before Murphy took over in 2024, no manager in Brewers history had won the NL award. His run has given the franchise its first three-time consecutive winner while coinciding with its first World Series championship