Don Kelly leaned against his desk inside the visiting manager’s office in Houston at Daikin Park and began to laugh.
Pitching coach Bill Murphy’s trademark walk, which can sometimes make a tortoise seem fast, has been a running (or crawling) joke among players and coaches. But during a May 24 game at Toronto, Murphy surprised everyone when he sprinted out to the mound for a visit.
“He hit the turbocharger,” Kelly joked.
The way Kelly sees it, the different ways of getting to the same place serve as an appropriate analogy for what Murphy has shown the Pirates thus far in his first season as pitching coach.
“There are times he walks real slow out to the mound, then there are some times he hits the turbocharger and sprints out,” Kelly said. “I think that’s in some ways indicative of his personality and how he gets after it every day.
“Most of the time it’s a pretty calm demeanor. But there are times that he gets after it, too. It makes him who he is.”
It’s only been a little over 60 games, but the Pirates feel like they’ve learned plenty about Murphy, who was on Houston’s Major League staff for five seasons (2022-25) before the Pirates hired him to replace Oscar Marin this offseason.
Murphy is consistent with how he handles people and situations. He also isn’t satisfied with the Pirates’ success and has a “hyper attention to detail,” per Braxton Ashcraft.
Bubba Chandler, meanwhile, praised Murphy's ability to relate to each pitcher individually.
"When he sees what you’re good at and can be successful with, he tries to pound that every day," Chandler said. "Loves you. Gives you a hug. He’s a joy to be around."
Most impressive, though, might be Murphy’s ability to toggle between serious and funny, to get ejected for arguing a call exactly one month after he wore Yohan Ramirez’s blinged-out belt.
“He’s been great this year,” Carmen Mlodzinski said. “The relationship that all the pitchers have, it’s a reflection of the person that he is. Not just as a pitching coach but as a human being as well.”
We’ve certainly seen Murphy’s creative side.
There was the Pittsburgh skyline with photos of Pirates starters, depicting who’s performed best as the tallest building. Murphy still tapes tickets in players’ lockers to signify strikeouts.
It’s all a way to blend intensity with fun, although Ashcraft admitted the pitchers in some ways are still getting to know Murphy and his quirky personality.
“It’s easy for everyone to have answers to questions,” Ashcraft said. “But when you’re talking about something as intricate as pitching, a question doesn’t necessarily warrant a knee-jerk response.
“He really takes the time to dive into the question, so he can come at it with a lot of knowledge. It’s his hyper attention to detail, the ability to communicate where he knows something at a high level but can help us do something with that knowledge.
“You can also just tell he cares. It’s a fun dynamic.”
As for Murphy’s sense of humor or random bouts of intensity, like his celebration with Ramirez in the Wrigley Field dugout on April 11 …
“I think we’re all still trying to figure him out a little bit,” Ashcraft said, flashing a wry smile.
"He’s a funny dude," Chandler addd. "Keeps it light. I think I’m pretty good at understanding sarcasm. Sometimes I don’t know if he’s being sarcastic or not. An hour later he’ll walk by you, just smiling. ... I love him."
The circumstances in which Murphy took over were certainly unique. But they suit him.
Most times when a coach is hired, it’s because something was previously deficient. Not so much here. The Pirates were mostly happy with Marin, though they felt the group had another level to reach.
That would require Murphy to take a group of already good pitchers and make them elite. Pretty much immediately, too.
Murphy has absolutely been up for the challenge.
“He’s always looking to get better himself,” Kelly said of Murphy. “He cares about the pitchers and other guys on the staff, always trying to help the pitchers find something to get better at. Sometimes that’s when they’re doing really well. Sometimes that’s when there’s something glaring that we really need to work on.”
There’s certainly still work to do. The Pirates have a 4.00 team ERA heading into Friday's action, good enough for 13th in MLB. It’s respectable but also a drop over their mark of 3.76 from 2025.
Bullpen-wise, that group has taken a step back (4.08 this year compared to 3.83), while the starters have experienced a few different storylines -- the ascent of Ashcraft, Chandler experiencing some growing pains and more variance than usual in Paul Skenes’ outings.
For Murphy, though, nothing changes. He’s always trying to learn. He’s always trying to find creative ways to get through to his players and always looking for something to improve.
“He’s never satisfied with where we’re at or what we’re doing,” Mitch Keller said. “Just always trying to get better. There’s always something we can keep striving to get better at, whether it’s pitch usage, pitch type or pitch shape. There’s nothing we’re not always trying to improve.”
Houston’s organization has meant a great to Murphy throughout his career. He started coaching Rookie ball with Greeneville in 2016 and a few years later ascended to Double-A Corpus Christi. By 2019, he was the Astros’ Minor League pitching coordinator.
Coming out of COVID, Murphy joined the Astros’ big league staff and worked out of the bullpen, meaning that if he ever needed to walk to the mound, you might actually need a sundial or calendar to time it.
As happy as Murphy might’ve been in Houston, the job with the Pirates was too good to pass up. It was a chance to chase perfection, to adjust his pace by working with a younger staff and hopefully create something special.
Both sides are still on that journey. But as the path took Murphy and the Pirates back to where his coaching career started, it’s worth looking back on what we’ve learned about this relationship so far.
“There are a lot of great qualities Murph brings,” Kelly said. “The consistency with how he handles people and situations on a daily basis, how he goes about it every day and builds relationships … he’s been a huge asset for us.
“He’s the type of guy who’s always looking for that edge. He’s always looking to push himself and the pitchers on the staff to be better in different ways. I think it’s just that thirst for knowledge, improvement and growth that make him who he is.”
Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@pirates.com and @JMackey_PGH on X.