Bruce Springsteen's 8 a.m. Call Gave the Brewers Their Own 'Glory Days' Moment
The Milwaukee Brewers headed into World Series Game 2 with an extra jolt of rock-and-roll inspiration. Bruce Springsteen rang Brewers manager Pat Murphy at 8 a.m. on Saturday, and Murphy later told the Asbury Park Press the conversation was, in his words, authentic, peaceful and perfect — a dream call from a hero he has followed for decades.
Murphy did not hide what Springsteen means to him. He told the paper he shared stories about the way the singer has shaped his life, and described his own idea of a big night out: turning on YouTube, putting on Springsteen's Broadway show, sitting down to listen to it, and having a good meal. Asked whether he felt nervous or star-struck taking the call, Murphy answered plainly that he did not, adding that he felt he already knew Springsteen because he knows so much about him.
The manager's verdict on the call was unqualified. He told the Asbury Park Press it was just as real as he had always hoped it would be, and said he wished he could do it ten times over, calling the whole experience awesome. For a manager steering a team through its first World Series in 44 years, it was a moment of calm before the noise of game night.
The call carried a deeper Jersey Shore echo. The late Joe DePugh of Freehold, who tried out for the Los Angeles Dodgers, was the man whose chance encounter with Springsteen at the Headliner in Neptune inspired the hit 'Glory Days', the Asbury Park Press notes. That song, about former high-school stars reliving their best days, has become an unofficial anthem for exactly the kind of October run Milwaukee is now living.
The timing could hardly have been better. The Brewers won Game 1 against the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 on Friday, and Game 2 was set for 8 p.m. on Saturday at American Family Field in Milwaukee, broadcast on Fox, with Hall of Famer Paul Molitor throwing the ceremonial first pitch and singer Kylie Cantrall performing the national anthem. Springsteen's call gave the clubhouse one more story to carry into the night — proof that, in October, even the Boss is watching.
Sources: Asbury Park Press / USA Today Network (24 October 2026); USA Today World Series Game 2 live coverage (24 October 2026).