The Milwaukee Brewers clinched the NL Central on Sunday, locking up their third straight division title and fourth in the last five seasons. It’s becoming a habit for this franchise.
The Cubs’ loss to the Reds in Cincinnati sealed it for Milwaukee before they even took the field. The Brewers went on to lose 5-1 to the Cardinals later that day, but by then they were already celebrating.
What makes this season different is how they got here. Milwaukee spent the first few months looking up at Chicago in the standings. Then everything clicked.
The Brewers were sitting at 25-28 on May 24 before catching fire. They rattled off winning streaks of 11 and a franchise-best 14 games during a stretch where they won 53 of 69 games. That run didn’t just get them into first place – it blew the division wide open.
Pat Murphy deserves plenty of credit for keeping this group together during those early struggles. The Brewers aren’t built on star power, but they’ve got a strong starting rotation and a scrappy lineup that plays fundamental baseball.
With one week left in the regular season, Milwaukee’s positioned to lock up the top seed in the NL and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. They’ve already secured one of the two NL spots that automatically advance to the NLDS in early October.
Since 2020, the Brewers have owned the NL Central. This latest title just reinforces what we’ve been seeing – Milwaukee has figured out how to build a sustainable winner in a division that’s been there for the taking.
The way they turned around this season shows the kind of depth and resilience that could make them dangerous come October.
