Murphy Claims Third Straight Award After 103-59 Season

Pat Murphy of the Milwaukee Brewers won the National League Manager of the Year award on Tuesday night. He is the first manager in baseball history to win the honor in three consecutive seasons. Murphy also became the tenth person to collect three total awards of this type. The Brewers organization had never produced a winner before this year.

The award went to Murphy after he guided Milwaukee to a 103 win and 59 loss record. That total set a franchise record and marked the highest win total in baseball since 2023. The team also posted the best run differential in the league at plus 214. Milwaukee secured its fourth consecutive division title in the National League Central.

The Baseball Writers Association of America announced the winners as part of its annual recognition week. The panel consists of 30 members, with two voting for each MLB city in both leagues. Votes were cast between the end of the regular season and the start of the postseason. Therefore, playoff results did not influence the final outcomes. The honors reflect only the 162-game schedule.

Walt Weiss of the Atlanta Braves finished second in the National League voting. He led the Braves to the National League East title. Don Mattingly of the Philadelphia Phillies placed third. Mattingly took over as interim manager after the Phillies fired Rob Thomson on April 28. He helped Philadelphia achieve the fourth-best record in baseball following that change in leadership.

Will Venable of the Chicago White Sox won the American League award. He orchestrated a dramatic turnaround for the franchise. The White Sox finished the 2026 season with an 84-78 record. That represented a 24-win improvement over the 2025 season, when they went 60-102. In 2024, the team endured 121 losses, a modern-era record since 1900. They also lost 101 games in 2023.

Venable is the first manager to lead a team to the postseason after it lost at least 100 games in each of the two prior seasons. He took over the team in 2025, leading to a 19-win improvement that year. He then guided the squad to another 24-win jump in 2026. The White Sox made their first postseason appearance since 2021.

The American League vote was closely contested. Venable received 15 of the 30 first-place votes. Kevin Cash of the Tampa Bay Rays garnered 12 first-place ballots. Chad Tracy of the Boston Red Sox finished third in the voting. Stephen Vogt of the Guardians placed fourth and Aaron Boone of the Yankees finished fifth.

Cash’s Rays also improved significantly, gaining 21 games to win 98. That was the best record in the American League. They captured the AL East title after finishing in fourth place in 2025. Tracy replaced Alex Cora, who began the season with a 10-17 record before being fired. Tracy managed the Red Sox to a 77-58 record, securing the second American League wild card spot for Boston.

Venable joins previous White Sox winners on the list, including Ozzie Guillen, Jerry Manuel, Gene Lamont, Jeff Torborg, and Tony La Russa. The announcement concludes a week of major awards for the 2026 baseball season.