The Milwaukee Brewers are headed toward October with the best record in the National League, and that puts them in familiar territory. They were the top seed in the league last year, too, and while they handled the Chicago Cubs in the NLDS, the run ended fast when the Dodgers swept them in four games in the NLCS.
That collapse came with a clear culprit: the bats went silent against Los Angeles’s starting pitching. Milwaukee managed only one run in each game of the series. The pitching staff did enough to keep the Dodgers in check for stretches, but the offense never gave it much breathing room.
That history is what hangs over this year’s postseason. The Brewers have been one of the most productive offenses in baseball, scoring the second-most runs in the sport with 788, behind only the Cubs.
They’ve also been dangerous lately, putting up at least eight runs in half of their games in September. On the surface, this lineup looks ready to make noise.
But last year’s version looked strong on paper, too. Milwaukee finished second in the majors in runs scored then as well, rolled through the regular season, and still hit a wall in the NLCS.
Across four games against the Dodgers, the Brewers went 14-for-119 at the plate. It was a tiny sample, sure, but it was a brutal one.
They couldn’t put hits together, couldn’t cash in on chances, and never really threatened to change the series.
The difference this time starts with the players who lived through that ending. Brice Turang, Christian Yelich and Sal Frelick all had rough series a year ago.
Turang went 1-for-15, while Yelich and Frelick combined to go 1-for-14. They’re back in the picture now, and so is the chance to make sure the same story doesn’t repeat itself.
There’s also a real reason to trust this group more in pressure spots. Milwaukee has the highest team batting average and on-base percentage in baseball in high-leverage situations, and its .781 OPS in those moments is just three points behind the Astros for the league lead. That’s a meaningful shift from last season, when the Brewers weren’t nearly as sharp when the game tightened.
In October, that matters. A couple of timely hits with runners in scoring position can swing a playoff game in a hurry, and Milwaukee’s offense has shown more of that kind of edge this year. If the regular season has been the dress rehearsal, the Brewers have spent it getting ready for exactly these moments.
The pitching can carry plenty of weight, but it can’t do everything. Milwaukee will need the lineup to back it up if this run is going to last.
After what happened against the Dodgers last year, this offense has something to answer for. And this October is its chance.
In Other News...
Brewers Fans Get One Early Shot At October Before Tickets Open
The Brewers are giving fans a head start on planning for October, with tickets for the first round of the 2026 postseason set to go on sale to the general public Wednesday, Sept. 23 at noon CT. Wisconsin residents will get early access a day earlier, as Milwaukee opens the door first to the home crowd that has been living and dying with this team all summer.
Before those tickets hit the market, American Family Field will host a Rally for October on Sept. 22, a fan celebration built around player appearances, a watch party, merchandise sales and other activities. The postseason picture is still tied to the final regular-season standings, so the exact dates and opponent remain undecided, but the Brewers are already making sure the atmosphere around the ballpark feels a little like October has arrived. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Fan Stole The Show During Bo Naylors First Milwaukee Homer
Bo Naylors first Milwaukee home run at PNC Park ended up creating a bigger scene in the stands than it did on the field. A Brewers fan from Windsor, Ontario, Gavin Deblois, went after the ball in the seats but couldnt hang on to it, turning what should have been a simple souvenir grab into the kind of moment that immediately draws every camera in the park.
The home run still counted after an umpire review, and Deblois eventually got his cap back from a Pirates usher, so the night did not end empty-handed for the visiting Milwaukee supporter. Brewers broadcaster Josh Maurer also made a stop by the fans with a signed Division Champion cap, a nice consolation for a section that wound up getting nearly as much attention as the at-bat itself. [Read more 🡒]
Jacob Misiorowski Just Flipped One Brewers Doubt On Its Head
With the Brewers already locked into a fourth straight NL Central title and sitting atop the majors with 10 games left in the regular season, Jacob Misiorowski has become one of the defining reasons this year has felt different. The right-hander has gone from an intriguing talent to the staff ace, pairing two-time All-Star status with a Major League-best 1.89 ERA and 243 strikeouts, the kind of production that changes how a team is built and how opponents plan for it.
The shift has also forced a rethink from outside the organization. Keith Law publicly acknowledged he was wrong about Misiorowski's chances of succeeding as a starter, a notable admission for a pitcher whose rise has been hard to ignore all season. For Milwaukee, the bigger story is what comes next: a rotation headlined by a pitcher who has already turned skepticism into evidence, and is still adding to it with the postseason ahead. [Read more 🡒]