On orders from his manager, Milwaukee Brewers left-handed pitcher Colton Gordon headed to the upper deck of American Family Field to investigate.

After the Brewers clinched a bye in the first round of the postseason, the team held simulated games all that week in preparation for the division series. It was during one of those workouts that Brewers manager Pat Murphy asked to speak with Gordon, who was acquired from the Houston Astros in July and pitched at Triple-A until a late September call-up.

"He calls me over," Gordon recalled recently. "He says, 'This is a tight scrimmage here. We have some opposing scouts in the upper deck spying on us. We're going to send security up there. Can you give us some backup?'"

Gordon looked up where Murphy was pointing and saw a "shadowy" figure in the stands, seemingly looking down on the field. A bit confused, Gordon did as he was asked. He jumped in an elevator with a security guard, who told him he "wasn't packing," so be ready for anything.

As they approached the figure in the stands and were "ready for anything," Gordon quickly realized the joke was on him. Murphy had sent him to Section 422, where a statue of the Hall of Fame announcer Bob Uecker was waiting for him. That shadowy figure was actually a legendary one.

"I looked down, and everyone on the field is looking back up, laughing," Gordon said. "Yeah, he got me."

It's that kind of playfulness that endears the 67-year-old Murphy to his team as it attempts to win the first World Series in franchise history. But there's another side to the skipper. After all, this is the same manager who said he wished he could tase a player who got thrown out going from first to third.

It's the yin and yang Murphy has perfected and it leads to a question often wondered of the front-runner to win his third consecutive NL Manager of the Year award: Is it all an act?

"Every time you think it's just a ridiculous act, if you look a couple layers deep down the line, you're like, 'That wasn't just clowning around,'" a Brewers coach said. "There is something to it."

'Oh no, he's serious'

There are plenty of "Murph stories," but the current favorite of Brewers players occurred right around the start of the playoffs when he delivered a line that still has them laughing. Knowing the grind of the postseason, after playing in 162 regular-season games, he delivered an inspiring message.

"If you're tired, take a nap," reliever DL Hall recalled. "If you're weak, get stronger."

First baseman Jake Bauers said it was "the best line of all time."

It brought a laugh to the room, but it was no joke.

"Oh no, he's serious," longtime Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich said. "And when he says those things in the dugout, he means it."

Murphy isn't necessarily the type to wait until the end of the game to address a team deficiency or mistake on the field. When you come off the diamond, you'll likely hear about it immediately. And it might sound exaggerated, but there's a purpose behind it.

"I gave it up to the Cubs one inning and came back to the dugout and sat down," pitcher Chad Patrick recalled. "Then, I hear Murph."

'WHO WE GOT WARMING UP? BECAUSE PATRICK JUST BLEW THE F---ING GAME.'

"That sat with me for a minute. But it's kind of funny to go back and laugh about."

Patrick recounted that anecdote after being asked for his favorite Murphy interaction. If being called out in front of your team is his favorite, what are the bad moments like?

"It shocks them at first," a Brewers coach said. "Everyone will say it on Twitter tonight. He's just saying it ahead of time."

But there is a method to Murphy's methods, according to those who have worked around him for a long time. Some of it, of course, is about accountability. But perhaps the real secret to the Brewers' success comes down to players knowing what's expected of them before things go wrong.

"It's just setting standards," GM Matt Arnold said. "The bar to be in this dugout is very high."

'The guy has a big heart but bigger expectations'

Former Brewers first baseman Eric Thames didn't like making outs. Sometimes, his displeasure would spill over into the dugout, according to coaches who were in Milwaukee during his three seasons with the team. One time, Thames got jammed and sawed off half his bat while the ball gently landed in the pitcher's glove for the easiest of outs.

Thames came back to the dugout full of vigor, with the remnants of the bat in his hand. Murphy -- then Milwaukee's bench coach -- looked up at him.

"Did you break it?" Murphy deadpanned.

The line drew laughs and calmed Thames. Unlike Patrick's needling, Murphy went in the other direction. He did the same with 21-year-old rookie Luis Lara in a game against the Cubs earlier this year. As Chicago made a pitching change ahead of Lara's at-bat, Murphy put his arms around him, giving him a motivational pep talk. All positive. Moments later, Lara delivered a winning, walk-off single.

"That's my favorite [interaction]," Lara said recently. "It was nice of him."

But Murphy also went the other way in telling Andrew Vaughn he would tase him if he ever got thrown out at third base, as he did in his first few days with the team last year. That carrot-and-stick approach describes Murphy well.

"Sometimes, you have to read between the lines a little bit," closer Trevor Megill said. "The guy has a big heart but bigger expectations."

Bauers added: "It's not an act. That is Murph. Everything he does is coming from a genuine place. The positive and the negative. Sometimes, it can be uncomfortable. If you take it seriously enough, he'll get the best out of you."

Throughout the clubhouse, players pointed to the other end of that spectrum: If taken the right way, Murphy will bring out the best in a player or team.

"He demands excellence," starter Logan Henderson said. "The standard is set so high. It's cool to play for."

But it's not for everyone. Without divulging names, Brewers officials acknowledge some players who have been moved because they couldn't handle it over the years. What has remained is a hardened team that keeps improving year after year, until now finally reaching the cusp of the ultimate goal.

Murphy's presence, humor, discipline and standard set the tone.

"We had a team meeting before the playoffs," pitcher Shane Drohan said. "He started out saying, 'This is the last time we're going to meet.'

"We've had about three team meetings since then. That's Murph."