Pat Murphy says he regrets the Yankees jab and called Brian Cashman to explain

Pat Murphy won the World Series and then had to make a phone call to the Bronx.

The Brewers manager said Tuesday that he regrets what he told Jake Bauers on the field after Milwaukee clinched its first title, and that he called Yankees general manager Brian Cashman about it. He made the comments on the New York Post's "The Show" podcast, per ESPN and Yahoo Sports.

What he said on the field

Bauers caught the final out of the Brewers' 4-1 Game 5 win over the Rays at Tropicana Field and gave Murphy the ball. A camera caught what came next.

"You're going to be a rich f---er," Murphy told Bauers, who is headed for free agency. "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.'"

The clip went viral. Yankees fans did not laugh it off.

What he says now

"I called Brian Cashman right away when I heard [my comments] got out," Murphy said. "I tried to explain that I wasn't talking about the 2026 Yankees."

He said he meant teams with a lot of high-priced, long-term contracts in general, and that he used the Yankees only because Bauers used to play there. "I felt horribly if I slandered the Yankees, because I was just kind of referring to them as this iconic machine," he said. "It wasn't smart on my part, and I'm sorry about it."

Murphy also said the "rich" line was a running joke all October. After every clinch he'd shake Bauers' hand and tell him the Brewers couldn't afford him and he'd forget how they did things, Yahoo reported.

RANT's take

The apology is fine. The explanation is shaky. Murphy didn't say "big-market teams." He said "that horses--- Yankees team," to a guy who actually played for the Yankees. Yahoo also noted it wasn't much of a hot mic, since cameras were all around the celebration.

The Bauers part holds up. He hit .202 with 12 homers in 84 games for New York in 2023. In Milwaukee this year he hit .266 with 26 homers, 86 RBIs and an .874 OPS, then won NLCS MVP, per ESPN. Murphy is right that Bauers is about to get paid.