The Milwaukee Brewers are heading to the World Series, a place they haven’t been in four decades. After getting absolutely swept out of the NLCS by the Los Angeles Dodgers last year, these guys came back and returned the favor, taking down the two-time defending champion Dodgers themselves. They’ve been the best team in baseball for the last six and a half months, and they’re going into the Fall Classic as the favorites.
This Ain’t Your Grandma’s Brewers Squad
Brewers manager Pat Murphy put it best after beating the Dodgers, saying, “[The Los Angeles Dodgers] may have a bunch of Hall of Famers, but we got a bunch of gamers, and the gamers won this week.” Don’t let that humble quote fool you though, because these guys are loaded with talent. We’re talking about presumptive NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob Misiorowski, who casually hits 105.5 mph on the gun. This dude absolutely owned MLB pitchers this season, leading in ERA, WHIP, strikeouts, strikeout rate, FIP, and yeah, fastball velocity. Opponents barely scraped a .157/.224/.246 slash line against him, and lefties were even worse at a measly .114 batting average. While he hasn’t gone deep into games against the Padres or Dodgers in the postseason, the team still pulled out those wins, thanks to him limiting runs and a bullpen that slammed the door shut.
On the hitting side, these Brewers have a serious “Big Three.” You’ve got 22-year-old left-fielder Jackson Chourio, one of the best young players in the game. Then there’s second baseman Brice Turang, a Platinum Glove winner who just gets on base at an absurd rate, bringing immense two-way value. And catcher William Contreras? He’s having the best postseason of any hitter still swinging a bat right now. Plus, Christian Yelich, the first player captain in Brewers history, is still a fan favorite even if he’s not hitting MVP numbers anymore. This squad is built differently.
The Mad Scientist Behind the Magic
A huge part of this Brewers’ turnaround has to be manager Pat Murphy. This guy joined the Brewers way back in 2015 as a bench coach, then took over the reins in 2024 after Craig Counsell bolted for the Cubs. How’s that tenure going? Oh, just *perfectly*. Murphy is the heavy favorite to win his third straight NL Manager of the Year award this season. In his third year as manager, that’s wild.
While managers don’t call every shot these days, Murphy is a master at channeling the front office’s vision, led by president of baseball operations Matt Arnold. The Brewers’ strategy under Murphy is this incredible blend of cutting-edge analytics, like openers, platoons, and obsessing over on-base percentage, mixed with some good old-fashioned baseball. Think stolen bases and sacrifice bunts. It’s been incredibly effective, and it’s why these “gamers” are playing for a title.
So, the Brewers are locked in, waiting for either the Cleveland Guardians or the Tampa Bay Rays to emerge from the ALCS. This is it for them, a chance to snag their very first World Series title. Can Murphy’s unique blend of baseball, Misiorowski’s scorching fastballs, and that “Big Three” deliver the goods? The whole baseball world is about to find out.
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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