Milwaukee Brewers In The Postseason: A Historical Recap

[Michael Trzinski]

Image courtesy of © Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

When the Milwaukee Brewers take the field on Saturday afternoon against the Chicago Cubs in the NLDS, it will mark the seventh time in the last eight seasons that the Brewers have made it to the postseason dance, including the last three years in a row.

But it wasn’t always that way.

The first Brew Crew team that advanced to postseason play was the 1981 team that competed in a strike-shortened season, winning the ‘second half’ before losing to the first half winner, the New York Yankees, in five games in the ALDS. The following year, the Brewers held on for dear life, winning the AL East crown on the last day of the regular season, then coming from a 2-0 deficit in the ALCS against the California Angels to win the championship in five games. Next up was the St. Louis Cardinals, who edged Milwaukee in seven games in the so-called ‘Suds Series.’

Then came a drought of a quarter-century, ending when the 2008 Brewers—led by C.C. Sabathia, Ryan Braun, and Prince Fielder—made it to the National League Division Series before falling to the Philadelphia Phillies in four games. Three years later, the Brewers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks in five games before coming out on the short end in six games against St. Louis in the National League Championship Series.

From 2012 through 2017, the Brewers never won more than 86 games and finished in the bottom half of the NL Central four times. During the last eight seasons, the Brewers have run roughshod over the NL Central in the regular season but have gotten steamrolled in the postseason.

Hopefully, this season will be different.

1981
The season was interrupted by a strike that began on June 12 and lasted until regular season play resumed on August 10. The ‘first half’ winner, New York, met the ‘second half’ winning Brewers in the AL East Division Series. The Brewers dropped two games at County Stadium, with saves going to Yankee closer Goose Gossage. Strangely, only 35,064 and 26,395 fans braved temps in the high 40s for the two games in Milwaukee. The Brewers won the first two games at Yankee Stadium, setting up Game 5, but the Yankees prevailed with a 7-3 win over the Brewers.

1982
Going into the final regular season weekend, the Brewers were leading second-place Baltimore by three games in the AL East. Milwaukee traveled to Memorial Stadium for a four-game set, including a Friday doubleheader. After the O's won the first three games, the two teams were tied going into the final match-up on Sunday. Behind Don Sutton's eight strong innings and two homers and a triple by Robin Yount, the Brewers cruised to a 10-2 victory. 

In the ALCS, the Brewers fell behind early, losing the two games at Anaheim Stadium before traveling east to the friendly confines of County Stadium. Milwaukee held on for a 5-3 win in Game 3, while reserve outfielder Mark Brouhard was the hero in a 9-5 Game 4 victory with three hits and four runs scored. In Game 5, the Brewers were trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh with the sacks jammed and two outs. Cecil Cooper hit a liner to left to score Charlie Moore and Jim Gantner, giving the Crew a 4-3 lead. 'Big Foot' Pete Ladd came on in the ninth in relief of Bob McClure and set the Angels down in order, sending the Brewers to their first World Series.

The Brewers shellacked St. Louis 10-0 in Game 1, led by Paul Molitor's five hits and four hits by Robin Yount. Mike Caldwell provided masterful twirling by throwing a complete-game three-hit shutout. The Cards evened the Series with a 5-4 victory in Game 2 at Busch Stadium. Back at County Stadium, the Cardinals took Game 3 before the Brewers won the next two games to take a 3-2 lead in the Series. St. Louis crushed Milwaukee 13-1 at Busch and then came from behind to earn a 6-3 Game 7 win and a World Championship. That Series was the first in Brewer history, and to this point, the only one.

2008
Thanks to early July trade acquisition C.C. Sabathia and his 11 wins, seven complete games, and three shutouts, the Brewers returned to the playoffs for the first time in 26 years and were hoping to advance deep in the playoffs. Unfortunately, the Philadelphia Phillies had other ideas, taking two wins at Citizens Bank Park with 'Lights Out' Brad Lidge earning a pair of saves. The Brewers won Game 3 at Miller Park with J.J. Hardy collecting three hits and starting pitcher Dave Bush going five strong, allowing five hits and one run. The season ended at 3 pm Sunday, October 5, with a 6-2 Phillies win.

2011
The Brewers took on the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLDS. Each team won two games at their own park and headed back to Milwaukee for Game 5. The Brewers led 2-1 going into the top of the ninth, only to see closer John Axford give up three straight hits, scoring the tying run on a squeeze bunt single by Willie Bloomquist. It was Axford's first blown save since April 18. In the bottom of the tenth, Nyjer Morgan (aka 'Tony Plush') singled to send Carlos Gómez home with the winning run, and a massive celebration in the stands ensued.

In the NLCS, the Brewers once again met the St. Louis Cardinals. The teams split at their home parks in the first four games, with Axford back on track with a pair of saves. Game 5 saw the Cardinals take an easy 7-1 win at Busch. Game 6 was a slugfest, with St Louis holding a 9-4 lead after three innings before an eerily silent crowd at Miller Park. The Brewers scored two more runs, but the Cards added three in a runaway 12-6 win and an end to the Brewers' season.

2018
In an NLDS match-up, Milwaukee swept Colorado in three games, including two shutouts. Unheralded catcher Erik Kratz led the team with five hits in eight ABs. The Brewers moved on to the NLCS, where they took on the Los Angeles Dodgers. The teams split the first four games at home, with three of the contests being one-run games. The Dodgers won Game 5 by a 5-2 margin behind Clayton Kershaw's seven-inning gem that included nine strikeouts. Milwaukee came back in Game 6 with a 7-2 win, courtesy of Jesús Aguilar's three hits and three RBIs. Although Milwaukee scored in the bottom of the first to take an early lead in Game 7, the Dodgers came back and scored five runs in the middle of the game for a 5-1 win and the NL crown.

2019
The Brewers held a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the eighth inning at Nationals Park against Washington in the NLWC game after Yasmani Grandal and Eric Thames hit home runs in the first two innings to give the Brewers a slim lead. That brought in Milwaukee closer Josh Hader, who had 12 consecutive saves before suffering a blown save in the last game of the regular season. Hader had two outs in the eighth with a man on first when disaster struck. A single and a walk loaded the bases for Juan Soto, who singled to right to knock in a pair before a bobble by Trent Grisham allowed a third run to score. The Brewers had Lorenzo Cain on first at the top of the ninth, but went down meekly with a foul pop and a flyball to center. The Brewers were 'one and done.'

2020
In the extremely strange season shortened by COVID, the Milwaukee Brewers found themselves in one of four NLWC series despite a 29-31 record. Once again, the Dodgers were the opponent, with the games played at Dodger Stadium. In Game 1, LA jumped out to a 3-0 lead after two innings. Orlando Arcia hit a two-run shot in the fourth to cut the lead to 3-2, but the Dodgers would tack on a run in the seventh and go on to a 4-2 win. Kershaw was once again the nemesis in Game 2, as he pitched eight strong innings, allowing only three hits while striking out 13 as the Dodgers rolled to a 3-0 whitewashing, ousting the Brewers once again.

2021
The Brewers faced the Atlanta Braves in an NLDS match-up after winning 95 games in the regular season. In Game 1, the contest was scoreless going into the bottom of the seventh at Miller Park when fan favorite Rowdy Tellez hit a two-run shot to center to give the Brewers a 2-0 lead. The Braves scored in the eighth to cut the lead to 2-1, but Hader made the finish interesting, allowing a walk and a single before getting the final out in a 2-1 victory. The Brewers' offense went away in a pair of 3-0 Atlanta wins, the next two games, giving the Braves a 2-1 series lead. In Game 4, both teams scored two runs in the fourth and fifth innings, and the score was tied at four apiece until the eighth, when Freddie Freeman hit a solo homer that would be the game-winner in a 5-4 Braves win.

2023
After missing the playoffs in 2022, the Brewers hosted the Diamondbacks in 2023. In Game 1, the Brewers got on the Miller Park scoreboard early and led 3-0 after two innings on an RBI single by Carlos Santana and a two-run homer by Tyrone Taylor. The D-Backs struck in the third and fourth innings on homers by Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte, and Gabriel Moreno to take a 4-3 lead. Arizona finished the scoring in the ninth on a two-run double by Christian Walker off closer Devin Williams. Game 2 started much the same, as the Brewers scored twice in the first frame on a Sal Frelick sac fly and an RBI single by Willy Adames. That would be it for the Brewers as the Diamondbacks scored one in the fifth and four times in the sixth and coasted to a 5-2 win, eliminating the Brewers.

2024
The Brewers won 93 times in manager Pat Murphy's first season and faced the New York Mets in an NLWC best-of-three series held at Miller Park. William Contreras had an RBI single, and Rhys Hoskins knocked in a run after getting hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to give the home nine a 2-0 lead in the first. The Mets responded the next inning on a two-run three-bagger by former Brewer Jesse Winker and a sacrifice fly by Starling Marte to make it 3-2. The Brewers recaptured the lead in the fourth on an RBI single by Jackson Chourio and an RBI groundout by Contreras, and led 4-3. Once again, the Mets struck in the next inning, scoring five times on RBI-singles by Jose Iglesias, Mark Vientos, and  J.D. Martinez to give the Mets an 8-4 lead, which would be the final. 

In Game 2, the Brewers were trailing 3-2 going into the bottom of the eighth when they scored three times on homers by Chourio and Garrett Mitchell to give the Brewers a 5-3 victory. In Game 3, it was looking good for the Brewers as they led 2-0 going into the ninth inning. With one out, Pete Alonso slammed a three-run homer off closer Williams, and Marte later added an RBI single to send Milwaukee to a heartbreaking 4-2 defeat. 

Could This Be The Year?
After so many 'maybe next years,' maybe this WILL be the Brewers' year. Selected by most pundits to finish no better than third in the NL Central, the Brewers put their season into high gear after the All-Star break, taking over first place for good in the division in late July. They won 37 of their last 62 games to finish five games clear of the Chicago Cubs, who they will now take on for the first time in postseason play. The Cubs have been an up-and-down club this year, but looked pretty solid against San Diego, holding the Padres to a composite batting line of .189/.243/.305 in three games. On the downside, the Cubs only scored six runs and were shut out in Game 2. 

If the Brewers can sort out their starting pitching, stay healthy, and get effective relief outings, the Brewers should win this series. If Uecker Field at American Family Park becomes 'Wrigley North,' that makes it that much tougher for Milwaukee, as the Cubs fans make a lot of noise.

Let's go, Brewers!!!

Michael Trzinski loves Brewers history and loves to share it with his readers. Enjoy the stroll back through Milwaukee postseason baseball.

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[Western Baseball Fan]

There's been a lot of disappointing playoffs for the Brewers over the last few years. The Brewers have a real good team this year, and I'm trying to avoid optimism, but I fell really good. but there are a lot of good teams in the National League this year.