Why a turtle is the most ironic animal Pat Murphy could have pulled out of his pocket

Pat Murphy is entering his third season as manager of the Milwaukee Brewers, and over the past two years, Apple TV’s exclusive Friday Night Baseball broadcasts have featured some truly iconic moments involving him and sideline reporter Tricia Whitaker.

In 2025, Murphy famously pulled out a pancake mid-game while on air with Whitaker, sparking a statewide “pocket pancake” craze in Wisconsin. Things went as far as including a full-blown pocket pancake breakfast rally during the Brewers' postseason run.

This year, despite Friday’s Apple TV broadcast of the Brewers vs. Kansas City Royals being rained out, Murphy aimed to outdo last year’s viral moment by gifting Whitaker a turtle. He reportedly gave a clubhouse attendant $500 to buy the animal, which is technically a Sulcata tortoise -- a species that can grow up to 100 pounds and live around 70 years. He also named it Bobby Jr., paying tribute to Royals player Bobby Whitt Jr., a longtime family friend of Murphy’s.

Because of travel restrictions, the turtle couldn’t accompany Whitaker immediately, so it stayed in the Brewers’ clubhouse over the weekend, where the team fed it and even took it on pregame walks. As amusing as the scenario is, it’s ironically the perfect animal choice for Murphy.

Pat Murphy's "pocket turtle" stands in stark contrast to the fast-paced, dynamic style of the Milwaukee Brewers’ roster and gameplay

Tortoises and turtles -- since all tortoises are turtles -- are famously slow creatures. They are so closely associated with slowness that their image often marks slow speeds on machinery. That makes Murphy’s choice of this hatchling especially ironic, given that his team is one of the fastest rosters in baseball.

So far this season, Milwaukee leads the majors in sprint speed, clocking an impressive 28.2 feet per second. The Philadelphia Phillies are the only team close, hovering right at 28 feet per second, but the Brewers have paired their speed with results, stealing a league-best 20 bases, comfortably outpacing the rest of the league.

For reference, baby turtles are actually their fastest in their youth, with some moving at speeds of 3.25 feet per second while in water, according to Science.org. On land, however, hatchlings move much slower, a fact that makes Murphy’s gift all the more amusing given the Brewers’ league-leading speed.

Murphy’s gift of a Sulcata tortoise to Whitaker is more than just a quirky clubhouse moment, whether he intended it or not. It’s a playful contrast to the Brewers’ identity as one of baseball’s fastest teams. This humor and personality that Murphy brings to the game is something Milwaukee fans have grown accustomed to, and with yet another viral moment, the rest of the league is finding that out too.