Jacob Misiorowski gave Milwaukee five shutout innings at PNC Park on Tuesday, setting the tone for a 5-1 win over Pittsburgh and a division-clinching night that became official when the Cubs fell, 6-3, to the Braves at Wrigley Field.
Brewers clinch another NL Central crown
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| SEO title | Brewers clinch fourth straight NL Central title behind Jacob Misiorowski |
| Meta description | Jacob Misiorowski threw five scoreless innings as the Brewers beat the Pirates 5-1 and secured a fourth consecutive NL Central championship. |
The result
Milwaukee is the first club to claim four straight NL Central titles since the division began in 1994. The Brewers have now captured the Central in five of the past six seasons and six times over the last nine years.
Misiorowski, the 24-year-old right-hander standing 6-foot-7, made sure there was no waiting around for the pitching side of the celebration. He struck out each of the first four Pirates he faced and fanned five of the first six. His final line: five scoreless innings, five hits, one walk and seven strikeouts.
The outing pushed Misiorowski’s Major League-leading ERA down to 1.89 and lifted his MLB-best strikeout total to 243. He also moved past Teddy Higuera’s 240 strikeouts from 1987 for third place on Milwaukee’s single-season list.
Luis Lara and Joey Ortiz supplied two RBIs apiece from the lower third of the order. Lara, a rookie who did not join the club until July, and Ortiz, who kept working after losing the shortstop job before finding his stride in the second half, gave Misiorowski all the support he needed.
“Winning these never becomes routine,” president of baseball operations Matt Arnold said. “To do it four years straight with this group means a great deal to everyone here. We are grateful to the people of Wisconsin who have supported us all the way.”
Manager Pat Murphy said the identity of this year’s club has revealed itself gradually. Milwaukee’s May sweep at Wrigley Field, with Misiorowski beating the Cubs, put the Brewers in first place for good. Murphy pointed as well to August, when Milwaukee was swept in San Diego and then answered by taking three of four from the Dodgers in Los Angeles. Misiorowski again was a central figure, winning at Dodger Stadium as the Brewers took over the best record in baseball.
“There was not one moment where you could just say this team was extraordinary,” Murphy said. “But it is starting to grow on me.”
Brandon Woodruff, the veteran starter who has not ruled out returning to the mound this season, said the clubhouse can become accustomed to Misiorowski’s dominance.
“We probably take for granted what he does every fifth day,” Woodruff said. “None of us has seen anyone quite like him. October is coming, and he is going to be out front for us.”
Murphy has watched the young right-hander develop beyond the radar-gun attention. “He has grown up a lot,” Murphy said. “He got stronger, became more mature and more consistent, and he is still learning.”
The rotation next
Misiorowski has already thrown a career-high 166 1/3 innings, so Milwaukee’s task over its final 11 games will be balancing rest against readiness. The Brewers have wrapped up the division, but they still have work ahead while pursuing the best record in the majors and home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
At 94-57, Milwaukee is also within reach of its franchise record of 97 victories, set last season. A 100-win finish would make the Brewers the first NL Central team to reach that mark since the Cubs went 103-58 in 2016.
The Dodgers, Rays, Braves and Yankees remain part of the race for baseball’s top seed. Misiorowski said the Brewers’ edge has come from a simple style of play.
“We are a scrappy group,” he said. “We put the ball in play and see where it takes us.”
Asked whether Milwaukee still carries an underdog label, Misiorowski did not think so. “I do not believe teams are overlooking us now,” he said.
The larger goal remains farther down the road. Milwaukee has not reached the World Series since 1982 and is among the five active franchises without a championship, alongside the Mariners, Padres, Rays and Rockies.
Owner Mark Attanasio reflected on how much the standard has changed since his first visit to PNC Park in the final series of 2005, shortly after buying the club from the Selig family. The Brewers won that series opener to end a run of 12 straight losing seasons, then dropped the next two games and finished 81-81.
“At that time, getting to .500 felt like something worth celebrating,” Attanasio said, recalling last week’s quieter toast after Milwaukee locked up a postseason berth. “We have come a very long way from that.”
Murphy welcomed the chance for his players to recognize the accomplishment, while making clear that the regular-season finish still matters.
“It felt inevitable that we would get this done,” Murphy said. “But those 11 games are important. There are plenty of things to clean up, and it is gratifying to see the players understand what they have accomplished.”
