The Milwaukee [Brewers](/mlb/team/_/name/mil/milwaukee-brewers) have exceeded expectations once again, but this season could be their most notable achievement to date. In a campaign where they have built the best record in the majors, the Brewers reached a new milestone by securing their place in the playoffs. The New York [Mets](/mlb/team/_/name/nym/new-york-mets)’ defeat to the Texas [Rangers](/mlb/team/_/name/tex/texas-rangers) sealed at least one National League wild card for Milwaukee. The Brewers responded with the tenacity that brought them to this point, overcoming a five-run deficit to beat the St. Louis [Cardinals](/mlb/team/_/name/stl/st-louis-cardinals) 9-8 in 10 innings on Saturday night. The celebration included a champagne toast in the locker room.
This is the seventh time in the last eight seasons that the Brewers have qualified for the playoffs, although they haven’t won a postseason series since reaching Game 7 of the National League Championship Series in 2018. From 1983 to 2017, they only managed two postseason appearances. Milwaukee will now seek its third consecutive National League Central Division title, as well as the best overall seed for the playoffs. The Brewers lead the division by 6.5 games over the Chicago [Cubs](/mlb/team/_/name/chc/chicago-cubs), who lost 5-4 to the [Rays](/mlb/team/_/name/tb/tampa-bay-rays) of Tampa Bay on Saturday. The Cubs have the tiebreaker. Milwaukee has a two-game lead over the [Phillies](/mlb/team/_/name/phi/philadelphia-phillies) of Philadelphia, leaders of the National League East, in the race for the best baseball record, and the Brewers have that tiebreaker. This season was expected to be a step back for the Brewers. They had traded [Devin Williams](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/33224/devin-williams), two-time National League Reliever of the Year award winner, and they lost one of their best position players when shortstop [Willy Adames](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/33675/willy-adames) signed a seven-year, $182 million contract with the San Francisco [Giants](/mlb/team/_/name/sf/san-francisco-giants).Let’s hope this is the first of many.
Christian Yelich, Brewers outfielder
The Brewers were 25-28 and 6.5 games behind Chicago on May 24, but have gone 66-30 since then. Milwaukee entered Saturday second in the majors in runs and ERA. That combination has the team ready to compete for the best record in franchise history. The Brewers already set a club mark with a 14-game winning streak this summer.Who thought before the season that we were going to be above .500?
Pat Murphy, Brewers manager
Milwaukee’s best regular season result was 96-66 in 2011. The Brewers have only made one World Series appearance, when they were in the American League, and lost to St. Louis in seven games in 1982. A couple of trades early in the season paid big dividends. [Quinn Priester](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/42449/quinn-priester) was pitching for the Triple-A affiliate of the [Red Sox](/mlb/team/_/name/bos/boston-red-sox) of Boston at the start of the season when the Brewers acquired him. Priester, who had a career record of 6-9 in the major leagues before the trade, is 13-2 with a 3.25 ERA for Milwaukee. Priester won his 12th consecutive decision on Friday, and the Brewers have won each of the last 18 games in which he has appeared. According to Sportradar, the last pitcher to win at least 12 consecutive decisions within a single season was [Gerrit Cole](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/32081/gerrit-cole), who won 16 in a row with the [Astros](/mlb/team/_/name/hou/houston-astros) of Houston in 2019.We knew we could right the ship. We knew we had to do it quickly if we wanted to get where we wanted to go. I think we believed in ourselves. It was a matter of going out and doing it. And once you get that momentum, you get that formula and find your identity as a team, it’s easier to win because you know how to do it.
Christian Yelich, Brewers outfielder
In mid-June, the Brewers traded pitcher [Aaron Civale](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/40934/aaron-civale) to the [White Sox](/mlb/team/_/name/chw/chicago-white-sox) for first baseman [Andrew Vaughn](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/42394/andrew-vaughn), who had been sent to the minors after batting .189 in 48 games with Chicago. Vaughn entered Saturday with an OPS of .860 in 54 games with Milwaukee.
Many others have also contributed. [Brice Turang](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/41179/brice-turang) was the National League Player of the Month in August. [Isaac Collins](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/42959/isaac-collins) entered Saturday with an on-base percentage of .372 as a 28-year-old rookie. [William Contreras](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/39895/william-contreras) has resurged since the All-Star Game and continues to be one of the best hitters in the game. [Jackson Chourio](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/4917869/jackson-chourio) has continued to emerge as one of baseball’s brightest young stars. And rookie [Caleb Durbin](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/5007615/caleb-durbin), one of the players acquired in the Williams trade, has solidified Milwaukee’s third base situation. [Freddy Peralta](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/39825/freddy-peralta) had a streak of 30 consecutive scoreless innings. Yelich is on pace for a 30-home run and 100-RBI season. [Brandon Woodruff](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/37515/brandon-woodruff) had a successful return from the shoulder injury that sidelined the two-time All-Star pitcher for the entire 2024 season. [Jacob Misiorowski](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/5080761/jacob-misiorowski), one of the fastest pitchers in the game, made enough of an impression to earn an All-Star Game appearance after being called up in mid-June. All-Star closer [Trevor Megill](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/40080/trevor-megill) and setup man [Abner Uribe](https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/4917865/abner-uribe) form one of the best relief duos in the majors. Everyone has joined in on fulfilling Murphy’s message throughout the season: Win tonight. The idea is that there’s no point in worrying about what happened in the past or looking too far ahead. Just worry about taking care of business right now. The plan has worked better than almost anyone outside the Milwaukee locker room could have expected.For these guys to come together and compete like this is special beyond belief. I can only tell you that’s the way they are, you know what I mean? They want to compete.
Pat Murphy, Brewers manager
