Brewers’ Sal Frelick has that ‘it-factor’ Pat Murphy declares appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Pat Murphy went out of his way to praise Sal Frelick before Game 2 of the World Series. A few hours later, the Milwaukee Brewers outfielder made his manager look like a prophet.
Ahead of Saturday’s matchup with the Tampa Bay Rays at American Family Field, Murphy put Frelick in some lofty company.
“He’s just the ultimate competitor, winner. He’s got the it-factor,” Murphy said. “You think of Joe Montana, you think of Larry Bird, they have the it-factor. I’m not saying he’s at that level of talent or been in a position to do those things, but he has that it-factor. He can take a team down the field, you know what I mean?”
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"He has that it-factor."
Ahead of Game 2, #Brewers manager Pat Murphy had high praise on Sal Frelick.
Hours later, Frelick tied up Game 2 with a solo home run in the bottom of the 6th after being down 4-0. pic.twitter.com/m4NWBIFhQR
— Audrey Marr (@AudreyMarrTV) October 25, 2026
Murphy added that Frelick’s edge goes beyond his skill set.
“He just has that grit. He has that belief system that, like, I’m going to get this done and you’re not going to deny me,” he said. “It’s a beautiful thing, man.”
Frelick backed up every word of it that night. After the Rays jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning, he helped chip away at the deficit with a single in the fourth that moved Cooper Pratt into position to score. Then, leading off the sixth with Milwaukee down 4-3, he battled Rays left-hander Ian Seymour for nine pitches before launching a 408-foot solo homer to center field to tie the game.
The blast was Frelick’s first career postseason home run, a rare show of power from a player known more for his contact, speed and defense. It also ended a drought of 103 plate appearances without a homer since July 11.
“I don’t hit a lot of home runs, especially to center, so I was happy it went out,” Frelick said, via the Associated Press. “I was just pumped to try to get back to the dugout.”
The homer set the stage for the go-ahead run an inning later, when Pratt lined a single to right to score Brice Turang. Aaron Ashby then stranded the tying run at third in the ninth to seal a 5-4 win and give Milwaukee a 2-0 series lead.
The Brewers will try to take a commanding 3-0 lead when the series shifts to Tropicana Field for Game 3 on Monday.
Related: Brewers’ Aaron Ashby reveals how he stays so calm under pressure in World Series Game 2 save
Related: Brewers’ Brice Turang reveals why Milwaukee never quits, no matter what