As the Milwaukee Brewers pile up wins at a faster pace than anyone else in MLB — with one of baseball’s smallest payrolls — one question is being asked throughout the sport: What’s their secret?
Those in the Brewers organization insist there is no classified formula for their success, but the answer might be best summed up in an internal game the organization plays called the “Check Game.”
“It started in the coach’s room,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy told ESPN recently. “To remind us, it’s not about us. It’s about the team. Anyone is fair game.”
The rules of the Check Game are simple. If you talk about your own accolades, you get a check. If you try to defend yourself, that’s a check. If you pass on blame to someone else, that might be a check as well.
“And if you bitch about a check, you get a bigger check,” Murphy said with a smile.
“[General manager] Matt Arnold was a two-time defending champion. If he said something about a player like, ‘We drafted him in Tampa,’ that was a check.”
Even owner Mark Attanasio isn’t off-limits.
“He would come in just off the plane with his Milwaukee Brewers stuff on,” Murphy recalled. “‘Huh, you wanted everyone to know you’re with the Brewers, wearing your stuff in public?’ That’s a check. His son even got a check when he had to go up into a suite in San Francisco because it was too cold.”
The point of the game exemplifies the concerted effort across the organization to align the different departments, so every voice is heard and valued — and the game makes it clear to everyone that making the team better is more important than who gets the credit.
“The Check Game is a really important game inside the clubhouse and the culture and the ecosystem of the team,” Brewers play-by-play announcer Brian Anderson said. “It’s a little bit of a borderline shaming game, so if you’re in it for yourself, you’re going to get a check and you’re going to be on that board.
“No one wants to be on that board.”
Welcome to ‘Milwaukee Community College’
The Brewers can go toe-to-toe with the $300 million powerhouses at the top of the National League standings because instead of trying to compete dollar for dollar, they’ve created the kind of unique environment that the Check Game fosters. It’s a vibe that feels more like the atmosphere in a college locker room than what you would expect in a professional clubhouse.
As you make your way through American Family Field on game day, you come to understand that notion when you hear the team’s manager, known simply as Murph throughout Milwaukee, refer to his first- and second-year players as “freshmen” and “sophomores.”
Murphy, 66, coached 22 years at the collegiate ranks, first at Notre Dame and then Arizona State, and old habits die hard.
“We joke around with each other and say that it’s Milwaukee Community College just because that’s how we play the game and that’s the kind of guys we have,” Christian Yelich said. “And Murph’s the manager and there’s a lot more talks about fundamentals and baserunning and little details of a game that you might hear in college.”
Murphy waves off any talk that his team performs fundamentals better than most. He even gets text messages about his club’s ability to do the little things from friends — but he won’t take the bait and risk receiving a check in the game he helped cultivate.
“I don’t think we have a secret sauce, and I don’t think we do things that much better than anyone else,” he said. “We’ve got a great group that competes. We’re under construction. We’re not setting limits on what we can do. How do we get better today? That’s the emphasis. That will always be the emphasis.”
Brian Anderson calls Murphy the Casey Stengel of the Brewers, replete with just as many sayings as the former Yankees manager. A few days spent in Murphy’s office give just a sampling of what might sound like a college professor:
“You’re not looking for credit, you’re looking for credibility.
“When you squeeze that egg too tight, what happens? It cracks.
“It might be great ingredients but when stirring it, it may not taste as good.
“You can’t coast uphill.”
But Murphy isn’t just rattling off clichés, he mixes his -isms with a hard-nosed throwback style that makes it clear that the standards are high when you put on a Brewers uniform.
“He wants to win badly,” Yelich said. “When he’s on that top step [of the dugout], you’ll know if you did something wrong. Sometimes, when you talk to him, you don’t always know if he’s serious by his demeanor, but he’s dead serious.”
Former Brewers pitcher Aaron Civale, who was traded in June for first baseman Andrew Vaughn, nods his head when asked about Murphy’s collegiate style.
“He can be hard to read at times,” Civale said with a smile. “I’ve definitely had my fair share of conversations where he’s smiling back and you’re not sure. There’s definitely times where it’s, ‘Um, which way are we going here?'”
Murphy’s “hard-nosed” style, according to pitcher Brandon Woodruff, works in the clubhouse because it mixes well with the type of players the Brewers employ. He’s communicative and direct. And expects the game to be played a certain way.
“There’s a little teardown factor when it’s needed and a little buildup factor when it’s needed,” Anderson added. “He’s probably as good as anybody I’ve seen doing that.”
‘We can’t afford to make mistakes’
The Brewers know that their clubhouse is never going to be filled with free agents who signed expensive contracts — their 40-man roster payroll of $114.5 million ranks 23rd in the sport. And because of the team’s sustained success, they rarely pick high in the MLB draft.
That means operating in nontraditional ways is crucial.
“I wonder if we had more money to spend, if we wouldn’t make more mistakes,” Attanasio said of his front office’s team-building philosophy. “Organically, in every one of our transactions, we look forward three years. We can’t afford to make mistakes because it sets you back for a long time.”
Attanasio credits the St. Louis Cardinals under owner Bill DeWitt with that forward-thinking model.
Meanwhile, GM Matt Arnold is part of the continuity the Brewers point to in describing what has worked for them. He has been with the organization for a decade, first as an assistant and now in his fifth season as the general manager. He’s also the reigning MLB executive of the year with a chance to repeat. In theory, that could earn him a couple of checks in the Check Game.
So, while the Brewers have become the talk of the league because of their record this season, Milwaukee has been to the playoffs six times since Arnold arrived and are a lock to make it seven this season.
“Everyone is looking at our team as innovative,” Attanasio said. “It’s what we’ve done for 10 years.”
Like most winning small-market teams, scouting and development are the cornerstones for the Brewers’ success. But in the current era of baseball, there is a lot more to the job than just identifying talent.
Arnold works just as hard at “connecting” the different departments within the organization as he does building a roster. That means melding analytics, player acquisition, player development and in-uniform personnel into a cohesive organism.
“I think it’s one of the biggest parts for me — just making sure that there’s empathy on all sides and that they’re working to make each other better, not against each other,” Arnold explained. “That is super important to me.
“I’ve been in environments where they are working in opposition and that doesn’t work, and it can crater a franchise. You have to sort of pick sides on who you align with. And I don’t think that that’s fair. Connectivity is the biggest thing.”
This process developed under former general manager David Stearns, working with former manager Craig Counsell, but Attanasio believes the current iteration is peak Milwaukee baseball.
“Matt has organized our player development from top to bottom so we preach the same thing,” Attanasio told ESPN. “Once upon a time, different levels were teaching different things. Now from the time someone joins rookie ball with us, they’re taught the same way we instruct at the major league level.”
The Brewers’ brand of baseball became even more clear heading into the 2023 season. That’s when MLB’s new rules took effect. Speed and defense were reemphasized in the sport as the shift was banned, the bases were enlarged and pitchers had limits on pickoff moves. Milwaukee leaned in — perhaps as well as anyone.
“We spent time on how are any of these rules going to impact us and what can we do to be ahead of those things?” Arnold said. “So yeah, we certainly spent time on it.”
Fueled by that shift in philosophy, the Brewers rank second in stolen bases this season, just as they did in 2024. They also lead the majors in outs above average over the past three seasons. Succeeding in those areas doesn’t cost in player payroll like it does to employ sluggers up and down the lineup in today’s game, and Milwaukee has proved that there are other ways to win beyond outslugging the opposition.
‘That one came over pizza and talking baseball’
The results of a connected process often show up by finding value in contributors who have fallen out of favor in other places, whether those players need an overhaul or just a change of scenery.
Two deals made after the 2025 season began show Milwaukee’s ability to add newcomers who become key cogs.
Because of early season injuries, Arnold sought out pitching, acquiring starter Quinn Priester from Boston in early April — a time on the baseball calendar when few significant trades are made. Priester was once a highly regarded prospect after the Pirates took him with the 18th pick of the 2018 draft but was dealt to the Red Sox after struggling in brief MLB opportunities in Pittsburgh.
Upon joining the Brewers, Priester changed his pitch mix — scrapping his four-seam fastball and adding a cutter — and immediately played a key role in stabilizing the rotation. The 24-year-old right-hander is 11-2 with a 3.14 ERA and ranks second on the staff behind ace Freddy Peralta in innings pitched (128 ⅓).
When first baseman Rhys Hoskins hit the injured list with a thumb injury in May, Arnold dealt Civale to the White Sox for Andrew Vaughn. The No. 3 pick in the 2019 draft, Vaughn had become available because he was hitting .189 for Chicago in his fifth straight season of underachieving.
Vaughn’s immediate turnaround became the stuff of legend in Milwaukee as he hit .330 with a 1.019 OPS and the Brewers went 26-4 over his first 30 games in Milwaukee.
Members of the front office, naturally, downplayed their role in turning around either player, pointing out that both were former first-round picks, so the talent was always there. After all, taking credit for the additions that helped propel the team’s early-season turnaround would be prime makings for a check.
The Brewers’ success in integrating newcomers isn’t just about finding diamonds in the rough from other major league rosters though. The roster is full of players who began their career in other organizations, and the bullpen is routinely restocked with unheralded relievers who become strikeout artists upon arriving at American Family Field.
Closer Trevor Megill bounced around between the Padres, Cubs and Twins organizations before the Brewers acquired him in 2023. Key reliever Nick Mears was acquired in an under-the-radar 2024 deadline deal with the Rockies after posting a 5.56 ERA in Colorado and Joel Payamps was released by four organizations before becoming one of the game’s best setup men after coming to Milwaukee from the A’s in a three-team trade.
But perhaps no player is a better example of the Brewers’ ability to leave the rest of the league asking, “Where did they find that guy?” than a 28-year-old who has emerged as one of the Brewers’ key offensive performers this season. When the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft rolled around in 2022, the front office zeroed in on Rockies farmhand Isaac Collins. Three years later, the left fielder has emerged as a top candidate for National League Rookie of the Year honors.
“That one came over pizza and talking baseball,” Arnold recalled. “We’re sitting in the room and having a good time. And as we’re talking through it, it’s like, man, this guy’s a pretty good player and he’s athletic and he’s a great kid and he would fit our brand of baseball.
“I think that’s really important to our success is continuing to find guys that have been overlooked or have struggled at different points and trying to see if there is an opportunity for those guys to get to that potential that once was there.”
‘Guys hold each other accountable about the little things’
For all their roster churn success stories that leave the rest of the sport in awe, the Brewers know they wouldn’t be October regulars without a core group of veteran players in the clubhouse.
Just like a college coach needs his seniors to show freshmen the ropes when they set foot on campus, Murphy points to having Yelich buy into the Brewers way — emphasizing speed, defense and situational awareness — as one key to their success. If the former MVP is practicing what his manager is preaching then everyone should, Murphy believes.
Yelich, Brandon Woodruff and Freddy Peralta have been in Milwaukee since the Brewers’ 2018 National League Championship Series run and have helped the team keep a collective chip on its shoulder despite the sustained success.
“As a smaller market, when you play the bigger markets, you’re always feeling like you have something to prove,” Woodruff said. “When you can take that mentality out onto the field, it adds up.”
After one recent game against the Cubs, Murphy reeled off all the ways Chicago was superior to his team — even though Milwaukee held a nine-game lead in the NL Central at the time.
“They have All-Stars, MVP candidates, veterans, Gold Glove winners, world champions,” Murphy said. “What don’t they have? They’re not the underdogs, trust me.”
That mantra filters down to when a new player comes on board, as most already understand what they’re getting into after watching Milwaukee from the other dugout.
“When I was with the Padres, we came here, and you kind of knew their style,” outfielder Brandon Lockridge said. “So, I wasn’t surprised when I got here.”
New catcher Danny Jansen added: “It helps playing against the Brewers and seeing that brand from the outside. When you get here, guys hold each other accountable about the little things.”
Coaches challenge players, especially about execution. “Did you get the bunt down?” “Would you, if your entire livelihood was on the line?” No negative moment is left unaddressed by a coach or veteran player — whether it comes in Game 1 or 121.
Though no one in the clubhouse will take direct credit for setting the tone — and risk seeing a check by their name on the board — players point to an attention to the little things that make the Brewers, the Brewers. And in Yelich’s estimation, it’s also what makes them lovable to fans around the league.
“I think we play an exciting brand of baseball,” he said. “I think if you’re going to buy a ticket to watch a team play, you’re going to get your money’s worth when you watch us, whether we win or lose, something exciting is going to happen.”
Yelich cites infield hits, stolen bases, defensive gems and “first to thirds” as examples of the Brewers brand. He kind of shrugs when he notes the kind of players the team acquires and employs, refusing to believe a smaller payroll innately creates a disadvantage.
“Here’s your cards, now go win,” he said.
Peralta added: “Doing the little things. That’s what we do. We don’t try to do too much.”
With September just around the corner, the Brewers are headed to the home stretch on pace for 101 victories. That mark would easily surpass the franchise record of 96 wins last reached in 2018, but there is still one lingering question that won’t be answered until the bright lights of October shine upon American Family Field: Can this style win a ring?
Milwaukee hasn’t won a playoff series since that 2018 NLCS run, often lacking the slugging needed to win in October. The Brewers believe their play during their multiple double-digit winning streaks this season has provided a blueprint to ending their postseason misfortunes.
“We were able to stack a bunch of wins together in a row and create some momentum and an identity as a team,” Yelich said. “You play it till the end, play the whole game and try to create as much havoc and traffic and pressure as you can through nine innings and see what happens.
“Assuming we get there, we could win the whole thing or be bounced in the first round. That’s the sport.”
