The Milwaukee Brewers have spent all season doing things their own way, and that approach has carried them into the final day with a 102-59 record. They won’t leave the regular season quietly, either.
Sunday’s finale against the St. Louis Cardinals comes with a handful of individual milestones still hanging in the balance.
What makes this group so unusual is how it has piled up wins without leaning on the long ball. Milwaukee sits second-to-last in Major League Baseball in home runs, yet it ranks second in runs scored.
That’s the story of the season in a nutshell: steady pressure, strong defense, stolen bases, and enough timely hitting to keep the machine humming. The pitching has done its part, too.
Now four Brewers have a chance to put finishing touches on standout seasons.
Brice Turang is the most obvious name to watch. The Gold Glove second baseman has developed into one of the most dangerous offensive players at his position, and he enters the finale hitting .268/.367/.452 with 21 home runs, 99 RBI, and 19 stolen bases.
One more RBI gets him to 100. One more steal gets him to 20.
If he reaches both, it would be the first 20-20 season of his career. He’s already a strong bet to be a Gold Glove finalist at second base, and he could also end up in the Silver Slugger conversation.
Jackson Chourio has already built a rare resume, even after missing the first several weeks because of a fracture suffered in the World Baseball Classic. He has still put together his third straight 20-20 season to begin his major league career, becoming just the third player ever to open a career with three consecutive seasons like that, and the first to do it before turning 23.
Chourio is batting .288/.348/.485 with 25 home runs, 73 RBI, and 23 stolen bases. Two more steals in the finale would push him to a 25-25 season.
Jacob Misiorowski, meanwhile, will take the mound for his final tune-up before the postseason. For a stretch, it looked like he might chase the Brewers’ first 300-strikeout season ever, but leg issues forced Milwaukee to manage his workload with the playoffs in mind.
Even with the innings limits, he has still been dominant: 15-5, 1.86 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, and 247 strikeouts. Three more punchouts Sunday would get him to 250, making him just the second pitcher in franchise history to hit that mark.
Cooper Pratt is also on the doorstep of a milestone in his rookie year. Long known as a major league-ready defender, the question was always whether his bat would hold up.
Since his midseason call-up, he has answered with a .281/.351/.371 line, three home runs, 34 RBI, and 19 stolen bases. One more steal would give him 20 for the season in just 74 major league games.
For a team that has already stacked up more than 100 wins, Sunday still has something meaningful attached to it. The Brewers can finish the regular season with team success and a few more personal landmarks layered on top.
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 🡒]