The Milwaukee Brewers have secured the NL Central title for the third time in four seasons.
The Brewers clinched the division on Wednesday after the Chicago Cubs fell 5-3 to the Oakland Athletics. This marks Milwaukee’s sixth postseason appearance in the last seven years, with the only miss coming in 2022, when they finished one game behind the final National League wild-card spot with an 86-76 record.
Milwaukee is the first team to secure a playoff spot in 2024, despite preseason predictions giving them less than a 50% chance of reaching the postseason. The Brewers overcame the loss of key personnel, including former manager Craig Counsell and ace Corbin Burnes, as well as injuries to notable players like Brandon Woodruff, Devin Williams, and Christian Yelich.
Christian Yelich commented on the significance of winning the division this season, stating it was “up there” in personal satisfaction with the 2018 playoff run, especially given how much the team had to overcome and their underestimated position coming into the season.
The Brewers’ latest division win also marks the first time the team has won consecutive NL Central titles since the 1981-82 seasons. With the division locked up, Milwaukee will now focus on chasing the Los Angeles Dodgers for the second seed in the National League. The Brewers trail the Dodgers by two games and will need to finish the season with a better record, as Los Angeles holds the tiebreaker after winning the season series 4-3.
