The Milwaukee Brewers turned a postseason clinch into a statement night Friday, hammering the Cincinnati Reds 20-0 and becoming the first National League team to lock up a spot in the 2026 playoffs.
That’s a long way from the days when October felt out of reach in Milwaukee. From 1983 through 2007, the Brewers never managed to clinch a postseason berth. Now they’ve done it eight times in the last nine seasons, with Friday’s win pushing them into the field again and underlining just how normal this has become for a franchise that spent its first 48 years in the playoffs only four times.
The celebration, though, matched the moment. There was no full champagne eruption after the rout in Cincinnati.
Instead, the Brewers kept things relatively quiet, with manager Pat Murphy offering a toast to the team’s success. Brice Turang said the best part of it was Murphy’s recognition of the people behind the scenes who help make the operation go.
Milwaukee appears to be saving the bigger scene for later. The champagne, the full locker-room celebration and everything that comes with it are reportedly on hold until the club clinches the division.
And that remains very much in play. Friday’s win trimmed the Brewers’ magic number to clinch the NL Central to four, which means any combination of Brewers wins or Chicago Cubs losses that adds up to four would give Milwaukee its fourth straight division title.
Even with the postseason secured and the division within reach, the Brewers aren’t shifting their attention. Their record has climbed to 36 games above .500, the best mark in franchise history, but the message from the clubhouse hasn’t changed. It’s still about “winning tonight.”
“Tomorrow's a new day, and we plan on winning tomorrow. That's how we go about it.”
Murphy made it clear the group isn’t treating this as a finish line, and he said the next stretch will demand the same edge.
“We'll have our hands full in the next 14 games, that's all there is to it. But I think it's important we play a certain way and don't let our guard down...
This isn't enough for this group. They want more.
They remember last year. They want more.”
Turang echoed that thinking after the game, stressing that the clinch is just one step in a bigger chase.
“This isn't the end goal. We all know what the end goal is, and that's what we're chasing. This is a small little step and we just enjoy it tonight, and then tomorrow we go out and try to win again.”
The Brewers know how special another trip to the postseason is. But the mood in Milwaukee has clearly shifted.
Getting there is no longer the whole story. What matters now is what they do once they arrive.
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A 20-0 rout of the Reds was enough to send the Brewers back to the postseason, and Pat Murphy made sure the moment was celebrated with some perspective. After the clincher, the Milwaukee manager gathered the team for a toast, recognizing how much the group had already accomplished while reminding everyone the season still has more left to chase.
Murphy also made a point of extending the credit beyond the clubhouse regulars, noting the work done by the people around the team who help keep a long season moving. The Brewers are in the playoffs for the fourth straight year, but the tone around the celebration suggested the bigger prizes are still in front of them. [Read more 🡒]