The Milwaukee Brewers’ bullpen has been absolutely lights out, putting up an insane 1.33 ERA over 40 2/3 innings in their dominant run through the NL Division Series and NL Championship Series. We’re talking about a squad that gave up just six runs across a 3-1 series victory against the San Diego Padres and a four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers. That kind of shutdown performance has the entire team believing they can grab their first World Series title.
This Bullpen Is Built Different
Seriously, this isn’t just a good bullpen, it’s a historic one. According to Sportradar, that 1.33 ERA is the fourth-best postseason ERA any pennant winner has brought into the World Series since the wild-card era kicked off in 1995. You know who the only three teams with better numbers were? The 2022 Houston Astros (0.83), 2013 Boston Red Sox (1.28), and 2005 Chicago White Sox (1.29). And guess what? All three of those teams went on to win the World Series. That’s the kind of company these guys are keeping. Manager Pat Murphy has been leaning hard on lefties Aaron Ashby, DL Hall, and JoJo Romero, plus right-handers Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill. Together, they’ve been untouchable, ringing up 35 strikeouts while allowing only 15 hits and a measly three earned runs over 35 innings. Aaron Ashby put it best after the NLDS, saying, “I know if I get two runners on, DL, Abner, Megill are behind me, and that’s an unbelievable feeling as a pitcher. I think it just allows the other guys in the bullpen to take a deep breath and trust who they have behind us. That’s a special feeling, when you’ve got guys like that in the bullpen.” DL Hall echoed that, calling it a “brotherhood.” They take pride in keeping inherited runners stranded, picking each other up, and it’s clearly working. They’ve helped the Brewers come from behind in six of their seven playoff victories. Elias Sports Bureau even dropped a wild stat: Milwaukee became the first team ever to sweep a best-of-seven series with a reliever earning the win in all four games. Mind blown.
The Masterminds Behind the Mounds
So, how did they build this bullpen monster? Trevor Megill was picked up in 2023 after the Minnesota Twins designated him for assignment. He’s stacked up 81 saves with a 2.80 ERA over the last three seasons, even making the All-Star Game in 2025 as a steady closer. Abner Uribe was signed from the Dominican Republic way back in 2018 and has become one of baseball’s top setup men, rocking a sub-2.00 ERA for the last two seasons. Both Megill and Uribe throw absolute gas, ranking above the 90th percentile in average fastball velocity. DL Hall joined the squad from Baltimore in the 2024 trade that sent former Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes packing, and he’s been clutch this October. Aaron Ashby was a fourth-round pick in 2018 and has absolutely found another gear this postseason after a shaky playoff history. And JoJo Romero? He came over with Dustin May from St. Louis at this year’s trade deadline. These guys, man, they’re just getting it done.
The Brewers are now looking to maintain this absolute momentum when they kick off the World Series on Friday. They’ll be hosting either the Tampa Bay Rays or the Cleveland Guardians, chasing their very first World Series title. They’ve only reached the Fall Classic once before, way back in 1982, losing to St. Louis in seven games. This time, with this bullpen, they gotta be feeling like destiny is calling.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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