MILWAUKEE — When Pat Murphy was named National League Manager of the Year Tuesday evening, he not only made franchise history. He also provided some vindication for Brewers management for selecting him.

Murphy is the first manager in Brewers history to win the honor. It’s also important to place Murphy’s hiring in context.

When Murphy was hired, Brewers fans were skeptical. Murphy’s predecessor, Craig Counsell, left for a big money contract with the Chicago Cubs. Standout pitcher Corbin Burnes was traded to Baltimore with one year left on his contract. The implication was the Brewers knew they wouldn’t be able to keep him.  So Murphy's hiring struck some as rewarding the bench coach for his loyalty by handing him a rebuilding job.

In addition to his years as Counsell's bench coach, Murphy had previous MLB experience as the interim manager of the Padres. He was a highly successful college baseball coach at Notre Dame and Arizona State, but that wasn’t the big leagues.

With low expectations, all Murphy did was guide the Brewers to a 92-70 record. They won the National League Central Division by nine games over Counsell’s Cubs. Murphy pushed the right buttons and was immensely popular in the clubhouse.

Murphy will turn 66 on Thanksgiving Day. I thought he set a perfect tone at Spring Training when he told the club it wasn’t about the old guy just happy to get the job. He wanted to win. He did. During the season and Tuesday night.