Reinventing the 1980s: Brewers Proving That 'Murph Ball' Can Be a Winning Strategy

During the first iteration of Milwaukee Brewers playoff baseball in the early 1980s, two teams took the term ‘small ball’ to another level. The Oakland A’s, under new manager Billy Martin, relied on taking the extra base, stealing bases, and putting pressure on defenses in a brand of play that came to be known as ‘Billy Ball.’ Martin lasted only three seasons (1980-82) in Oakland but took a team that lost 108 games in 1979 and turned it into an 83-game winner the next year, good enough for second place in the American League West. In the strike-shortened 1981 season, the A’s made it all the way to the ALCS, but lost to the New York Yankees in three games.

Meanwhile, in the National League, the St. Louis Cardinals played a similar style of baseball under manager Whitey Herzog. The Brewers got a good dose of ‘Whitey Ball’ in the 1982 World Series, as the Cardinals stole seven bases while winning the Series in seven games. Lonnie Smith, Tommy Herr, Ozzie Smith, and Willie McGee all stole at least 24 bases during the regular season, on the way to 92 wins in the NL East and an eventual berth in the Fall Classic. Milwaukee was the polar opposite of the Cardinals, slugging 216 home runs and stealing only 84 bags, led by Paul Molitor’s. Forty-three years later, the Brewers more closely resemble the A’s and the Cardinals of the 1980s than 'Bambi's Bombers' or 'Harvey's Wallbangers' of that same era.

Ned Yost was a backup catcher for Milwaukee from 1980-83. He had only one plate appearance in the 1982 World Series, in which he drew a walk (of course he did), and otherwise sat on the bench. Yost became the Brewers' manager in 2003 and spent five ho-hum seasons at Miller Park before having his job terminated after the Brewers lost 11 of 14 games in early September 2008, nearly losing their Wild Card slot. With just 12 games left to play, Dale Sveum took over and guided the Brewers to a 7-5 mark and their first playoff action since 1982.

Yost became the manager for the Kansas City Royals in 2010. Four years later, he led the Royals to the World Series, where they lost in seven games to the San Francisco Giants. The following season, the Royals became champions, after beating the New York Mets in five games. The Royals led the majors in steals in 2014 and finished fifth in 2015, while languishing near the bottom of the league both years in home runs. Former and/or future Brewers Alcides Escobar, Mike Moustakas, and Lorenzo Cain all earned World Series rings. Ten years later, the 2025 Brewers hope to win theirs.

This year’s version of the Milwaukee Brewers is not that much different from the previous year’s edition under manager Pat Murphy. This year’s team is scoring 5.2 runs/game (R/G), up from last season’s 4.8 R/G. Home runs are virtually the same (1.07 HR/G vs. last year’s 1.09). Walks are down from last year, 3.41 BB/G vs. 3.68. Stolen bases are also down: 1.1 SB/G from 1.34 in 2024. But the point is, the team hasn’t changed that much, even though the cast of characters has changed since last year.

With an MLB-best record of 78-45 and an eight-game lead over the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central, the Brewers have shown that a team does not have to hit a ton of homers to win games. The Brewers play ‘Murph Ball,’ getting on base, taking the extra base, and putting pressure on the opposing defense to win games. The Brewers lead MLB with 630 runs scored, and are second in stolen bases (133), batting average (.260), on-base percentage (.333), and are tied for seventh with 413 bases on balls. The 130 home runs hit by the Brewers rank 18th.

During their 14-game winning streak, the Brewers looked more like ‘Murphy’s Maulers’ than a team playing ‘Murph Ball,’ banging out 26 round-trippers while stealing only 12 bases. Brice Turang (6), Christian Yelich (5), Andrew Vaughn (4), William Contreras (4), Blake Perkins (3), and Isaac Collins (2) all found their power strokes during the latest winning streak.

The Brewers came from behind to win eight times in the 14 contests, including Friday night’s seven-run deficit to the Reds. Brewers fans are increasingly talking about the ‘spirit’ of Bob Uecker guiding the team over the last two weeks. Yelich even hit two home runs with a special ‘Mr. Baseball’ bat.

Even though the style of play has changed over the last two weeks, the wins keep coming. If the players take it ‘one day at a time,’ the Brewers should win the division and make the playoffs. The five-game set at Wrigley Field this coming week will tell us a lot about how the rest of the season will go. They'd love to make a resounding statement in that series, but the truth is, they no longer need to. It's just a matter of continuing what they're doing.

For now, the team playing ‘Murph Ball’ keeps on rolling along and finds a way to win games, either by the long ball or via small ball. Another Oakland legend springs to mind: Just win (tonight), baby.