The Brewers didn’t just win the NL Central. They ran away with it, and they did it in the most convincing way possible - by finishing with the best regular season in franchise history.
Milwaukee closed the year at 103-59 after going 5-1 against the Phillies and Cardinals, blowing past the previous club mark of 97 wins set in 2025. Brice Turang was right in the middle of the late push, finishing a 20-homer, 100-RBI season with two homers and three doubles this week while driving in a team-high seven.
Jackson Chourio kept stacking loud production too, collecting eight hits with a homer, five RBIs, seven runs scored and two stolen bases. Christian Yelich and Gary Sánchez also went deep.
The rotation and bullpen did their part as well. Jacob Misiorowski wrapped up a historic season with another scoreless outing, striking out five over 5 1/3 innings to earn his 16th win.
Logan Henderson allowed one run over five innings, and Robert Gasser delivered six innings with one run allowed while punching out a team-high nine. In relief, Aaron Ashby, Trevor Megill, Antonio Senzatela and Shane Drohan each picked up a save this week.
Now Milwaukee gets to sit back and wait. The Brewers will watch the NL Wild Card Series between the Cubs and Padres, and the winner of that best-of-three matchup will come to Milwaukee for the NLDS, which begins Saturday.
Chicago had a much rougher finish, but the Cubs still landed in the second NL Wild Card spot at 89-73. They dropped two of three to both the Marlins and Red Sox to close out the regular season, limping into October after a week that never really found its rhythm.
Even so, there were a few bright spots. Alex Bregman returned after last Sunday’s scare, when a foul ball struck him in the face in the on-deck circle, and he answered with two homers and a double in a four-hit weekend against Boston. Seiya Suzuki added Chicago’s other homer of the week, and Pete Crow-Armstrong capped off a 40-homer, 40-steal season by swiping three more bases.
On the mound, Matthew Boyd turned in the Cubs’ best start, going seven innings with one run allowed and six strikeouts. David Peterson followed with five scoreless innings and six strikeouts, while Gavin Hollowell, Daniel Palencia, Colin Rea, Ryan Zeferjahn and Jacob Webb combined for 9 2/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen and struck out six. Chicago now heads to San Diego for a best-of-three NL Wild Card Series, with the winner moving on to face Milwaukee.
Pittsburgh finished on the right side of .500 at 82-80, and that alone made this a meaningful ending. The Pirates went 3-3 against the Cardinals and Tigers to officially clinch a winning season for the first time since 2018.
Brandon Lowe powered the offense with two homers, while Konnor Griffin closed out a strong rookie year with a team-high eight hits, including a homer. Rafael Flores and Jacob Gonzalez each homered as their only hits of the week.
Paul Skenes finished off another 200-strikeout season, tossing 6 1/3 innings with one run allowed and eight strikeouts. Jared Jones also looked sharp, putting together two outings that totaled 11 scoreless innings and 14 strikeouts. In relief, Lake Bachar, Yohan Ramírez, Evan Sisk, Gregory Soto, Luke Weaver and the retiring Kirby Yates combined for 15 scoreless innings and 21 strikeouts.
St. Louis, meanwhile, kept sliding. The Cardinals lost two of three to the Pirates and then were swept by the Brewers, finishing 77-85 and eight games under .500 after a second-half collapse.
Alec Burleson provided one of the few bright notes, finishing a strong season with three homers this week. Leo Bernal, Jordan Walker and Iván Herrera each added one, and JJ Wetherholt led the club with five hits.
The pitching staff had a rough week overall, but Matthew Liberatore gave St. Louis its best outing, allowing one run and striking out six over 5 2/3 innings. Gordon Graceffo, Cooper Hjerpe, Brycen Mautz, Hancel Rincon, George Soriano and Cade Winquest combined for 15 2/3 scoreless innings and 16 strikeouts.
Cincinnati ended at 75-87 after a 3-3 week, taking two of three from the Braves before dropping two of three to the Blue Jays.
Elly De La Cruz and Eugenio Suárez each hit two homers, and five other Reds players added one apiece. Carlos Jorge led the club with seven hits, including a homer, while Héctor Rodríguez posted six hits with a homer, a double and a triple, driving in five.
On the mound, Andrew Abbott and Rhett Lowder both had strong starts. Abbott worked seven innings with two runs allowed and six strikeouts, while Lowder threw six scoreless innings and struck out two. Tejay Antone, Graham Ashcraft, Brock Burke, Pierce Johnson and Emilio Pagán then combined for 12 scoreless innings out of the bullpen, striking out 11.
In Other News...
Brewers Just Got A Joey Ortiz Update They Had To Hear
Joey Ortiz gave the Brewers a much-needed scare check on the injury front, but the early read appears encouraging. An MRI came back clean enough for manager Pat Murphy to describe the results as good, easing concern around the abdominal swelling and bruised knee that had put Ortiz in the spotlight as Milwaukee turns its attention to October.
Ortiz has become an important piece for the Brewers since his game took a real step forward in mid-June, and the team is counting on that version of him in the postseason. For now, the expectation is that hell be ready when the National League Division Series begins on October 3, which is the kind of update Milwaukee needed after a tense few days. [Read more 🡒]
Christian Yelich Had One Condition Before Accepting Brewers Captaincy
Christian Yelich has long been one of the steady voices inside the Brewers clubhouse, so it did not come as a shock when the club officially elevated him to captain. The move, Milwaukees first formal captaincy, came with Robin Younts blessing and was later confirmed by manager Pat Murphy, a reminder that this was as much about respect and presence as it was about production on the field.
Yelich will now wear a C on his jersey, placing him in a small group of active major leaguers with that distinction. The timing also suggests the Brewers were deliberate about making sure the role fit the person, not just the rsum, and there was one requirement Yelich wanted met before he said yes to the honor. [Read more 🡒]
Brandon Woodruff Just Reached A Rehab Stage Brewers Fans Needed
Brandon Woodruff has reached a meaningful checkpoint in his rehab, getting medical approval to begin throwing off a mound as he works his way back. For a Brewers team that has been waiting on any encouraging signs from one of its most important arms, it is the kind of development that at least keeps the door cracked on a late-season return.
Pat Murphy still made it clear the odds remain long, and the club has not framed this as a sure thing. Woodruff was originally expected to need surgery, so the fact that he has continued recovering without it has already changed the conversation, even if the next steps now matter more than ever. [Read more 🡒]