The Milwaukee Brewers rolled into the 2026 MLB playoffs with a record-setting 103 wins, the best record in baseball for the second straight season, but their perennial underdog mentality has to go. This team is the top dog, and it’s time to play like it. They shattered their own franchise record with that win total, and in the clubhouse, they should absolutely feel like they take a backseat to no one. They have to walk into every series knowing they are the team to beat.
When Do the Brewers Stop Playing “The Little Engine That Could”?
Listen, the regular season boxes are checked. They proved they can win. But some major playoff boxes remain, and they are getting heavier every year. This franchise has never grabbed an NL pennant, with their lone one coming way back in the AL in 1982. They are also one of only five MLB franchises without a World Series title to their name. You can feel the weight of history there, right?
And this decade? It’s been a tough read. In 2021, they had 95 wins and the No. 2 seed in the NL, only to get bounced 3-1 in the NLDS by the 88-win Braves. Then in 2023, as the No. 3 seed, they lost in the Wild Card Series to the 84-win Diamondbacks. Fast forward to 2024, another No. 3 seed with 93 wins, and they got knocked out of the Wild Card Series by the 89-win Mets. Last year, 2025, they finally broke through to the NLCS, only to lose to the eventual repeat champion Dodgers. That’s four straight playoff trips where they were sent home by an inferior playoff seed. Market size and salary cap talk gets thrown around, but if the Mets or Cubs had that kind of playoff resume this decade, how would we be talking about them? It’s time for the Brewers to look in the mirror.
Pat Murphy’s Underdog Talk Has to End Now
This is where the plea comes in: the Brewers cannot act like the underdog anymore. Forget being David to anyone’s Goliath, even if we all know how that story ends. They can’t keep channeling “The Little Engine That Could.” It might not seem like a massive deal to some, but that’s been the vibe under manager Pat Murphy so far. Last season in the playoffs, he kept harping on opposing player salaries, like Matthew Boyd of the Cubs, who signed a two-year, $29 million contract.
Earlier this very season, after they stomped the Cubs, Murphy dropped this gem: “The Cubs don’t even know most of our guys’ names, so they’re never going to be intimidated by us, but we’re not looking for that.” Excuse me? That statement is everything wrong with this mindset. They absolutely need to start looking for that! There has to be a total attitude shift. If you want different results in the playoffs, you need a different mindset. It’s time to get it through their heads that they are the Big Bad Wolf. They are the Terminator. They are the FINAL BOSS. They need to walk into the ballpark thinking the other team should be scared, because honestly, they should be.
The Brewers are in the playoffs right now, and they finally have the chance to change the narrative. Winning 103 games isn’t enough; it’s about what happens now. They need to own their status, flip the switch, and truly believe they are the best team in baseball, because on paper, they’ve proven it.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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