MLB: Former Dutch National Team skipper Pat Murphy to manage 2024 Milwaukee Brewers
Former Dutch National Team skipper Pat Murphy will manage the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the 2024 season. Murphy, 64, served as the Brewers' bench coach under manager Craig Counsell from 2016 to 2023.
Murphy was a catcher and an infielder for the Florida Atlantic University and signed for the San Francisco Giants in 1982, however his pro career didn't last long, and Murphy started coaching in 1983.
He participated in an intercollegiate programme called California Stags, run by Bill Arce, who had managed both the Dutch and the Italian National Teams in the 1970s.
After participating in the Haarlem Baseball Week with the Stags, Murphy accepted the Dutch National Team manager position for the 1987 European Championship. The Netherlands beat Italy in the best-of-five final to win the Continental title and qualify for the Seoul 1988 Olympic demonstration tournament.
Soon after the European Championship, Murphy committed to the University of Notre Dame in 1987. He moved to Arizona State University in 1995. In 1998, he became the youngest collegiate coach to reach 500 wins. He would go on to lead the programme to four College World Series.
Murphy finally had the chance to manage the Netherlands in an Olympic tournament in 2000. The Dutch finished fifth with a 3-4 record, missing the Sydney Games medal round. On 20 September, they beat Cuba 4-2. The game represented the first-ever Cuban loss in the Olympics.
Two future Dutch National Team managers played under Murphy in the 2000 Olympics: Rob Eenhoorn and Hensley Meulens.
Marco Stoovelar's Grand Slam website reported that Eenhoorn was one of nine players on that roster who managed in the Dutch Hoofdklasse (Major League). The other eight are Johnny Balentina, Michael Crouwel, Rikkert Faneyte, Evert-Jan 't Hoen, Eelco Jansen, Ferenc Jongejan, Raily Legito and Ralph Milliard.
After resigning from Arizona State University in 2009, Murphy signed for the San Diego Padres. He was a minor league manager when the Milwaukee Brewers gave the manager's job to his former player, Craig Counsell, who wanted Murphy to be his bench coach.
After Counsell accepted the Chicago Cubs manager's position, the Brewers turned to Murphy.
