MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Brewers had plenty to celebrate Saturday evening, even before their scheduled game against the St. Louis Cardinals.
One night after becoming the first team to record 90 wins, the Brewers also became the first to clinch a postseason berth after the Texas Rangers defeated the New York Mets 3-2 at Citi Field. The Brewers (90-58) have secured their third straight playoff appearance, and their seventh postseason berth in their last eight seasons.
TICKET PUNCHED ‼️ pic.twitter.com/rWQieBsSTl
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) September 13, 2025
A jarring mid-September slump by the Mets, who suffered their eighth straight loss, expedited the Brewers’ road to October. But despite its small market size and lower payroll, Milwaukee continued to establish itself as a legitimate contender thanks to another remarkable regular season.
This season did not start sharply. The Brewers lost star shortstop Willy Adames to free agency over the winter and traded closer Devin Williams before scuffling mightily to open the season. They started the year by posting the worst run differential in MLB in April, placing six starting pitchers on the injured list and falling to a season-worst four games under .500 on May 17.
But thanks to a relentless brand of baseball they’ve perfected under reigning National League manager of the year Pat Murphy, the Brewers surged back into the standings in June and never looked back. Complimented by opposing teams as intense and athletic, the Brewers capitalized on their tight defense, weaponized their speedy lineup and tapped into their farm system’s deep pitching pipeline to surge back to October baseball. A franchise-record 14-game win streak in August didn’t hurt either.
The Brewers have used 15 different starting pitchers this year, headlined by Freddy Peralta’s 2.69 ERA over a team-high 30 starts. Milwaukee owns the lowest team ERA in baseball (3.62) and has generated the third-most strikeouts (1,299). Rookie right-handed phenom Jacob Misiorowski, who was scheduled to start Saturday, has emerged as one of the game’s most exciting pitching prospects.
Breakout seasons from outfielder Sal Frelick and infielder Brice Turang have helped pace an offense that ranks second in the league in team average (.260). Star centerfielder Jackson Churio has slugged 20 home runs and driven in 74 runs, despite missing a month of play in August with a hamstring strain. Christian Yelich’s 28 homers are the most he’s hit in a season since mashing 44 in 2019, when he finished second in National League MVP voting. Isaac Collins, who entered play Saturday hitting .274 with an .800 OPS, has earned consideration for the National League Rookie of the Year.
The Brewers magic number to clinch the NL Central is 10. Any combination of Brewers wins and Cubs losses that total 10 will lock up the division.
(Photo of Jackson Chourio: Tim Heitman / Getty Images)