The Milwaukee Brewers enter October as the top seed in the National League after setting a franchise record with 103 regular-season wins. Manager Pat Murphy and his roster shed the underdog label, aiming to capture the World Series title that has eluded the franchise since 1982.
Unlike prior campaigns that relied on unexpected hot streaks, this squad did not have a hot streak and did not have a big slump, maintaining an even trajectory throughout the regular season.
Brewers Claim Top Seed in National League Central
Super fans Lisa Lucas and Erin Hoffman, hosts of the podcast Brewers Babes where they talk ball—everything from OPS, to tipping pitches, to the power of friendship—recalled that at the beginning of this season, not a single pundit or baseball expert picked the Milwaukee Brewers to win the division as discussed on WUWM. Instead of accepting those projections, the clubhouse embraced an identity rooted in execution rather than raw home-run totals.
“We don’t use that underdog card anymore because we proved what we proved over the last few years. Yeah, we’re young, but we ain’t going to be anyone’s underdog.”
Pat Murphy, Brewers manager, via MLB
Contact Hitting Defines the Offense
While the rest of the league chased launch angles and high strikeout totals, Milwaukee forged a unique statistical path.
The approach prioritizes high-contact bats, disciplined plate appearances, and aggressive base running. Outfielder Sal Frelick noted that the culture leaves no room for chasing bad pitches, stating it is part of the culture and that players won’t play if they chase here.
Historic Wins Highlight the 103-Victory Campaign
Playing in Milwaukee against the Mariners on August 18, the Brewers crushed Seattle 22-0 to claim the most lopsided shutout recorded since 1887, backed by hits from 11 different players—seven of whom tallied multiple hits—while the opposing squad failed to put a single run on the board. Months later on September 8, during a back-and-forth extra-inning battle versus the Cubs, Sal Frelick hit a pop-up single that evaded two Cubs in left field to set up a bases-loaded situation for rookie Luis Lara, whose first career walk-off RBI deep into left field sealed the victory.
Those offensive explosions complemented an anchor rotation featuring Jacob Misiorowski—who finished the year with a record-setting .157 opponent batting average and a 37.9% strikeout rate—alongside newcomer Kyle Harrison, who stood out among several new faces, and Logan Henderson, who finished his rookie season with a 2.47 ERA across 18 starts.
Brewers Meet San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series
Holding the top seed earned the Brewers a first-round bye, but the postseason path immediately presents a formidable test against the San Diego Padres. Although Matt Arnold, the club’s general manager and president of baseball operations, withheld comment on whether Dustin May or Kyle Harrison would secure rotation spots for the playoffs, Harrison bolstered confidence by striking out four batters during a September 26 victory that defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2.
Having fallen short in the National League Championship Series last year against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the roster—youngest in baseball at an average age of 27.4 years old—enters October determined to convert regular-season dominance into the franchise’s first World Series title since 1982. The opener on October 3 will include placing trust in starter Jacob Misiorowski to replicate his regular season success in the postseason against southpaw Ray, whose fastball averages in the low 90s and presents an intriguing contrast to Misiorowski’s 100-plus miles per hour velocity.