The Milwaukee Brewers are National League Central champs and are still the best team in baseball. Will it last into October?
Now that the Brewers have clinched a playoff spot and locked up a first-round playoff bye, they still have one more goal to attain: The top overall seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Here’s what they’re still chasing (updated through Sept. 27):
What’s the Milwaukee Brewers’ magic number to win the NL Central Division?
It’s zero. After the Cubs lost on Sept. 21, the Brewers had locked up the National League Central and secured a first-round playoff bye. It’s the third consecutive year for a Brewers division title.
What is their magic number to get home-field advantage throughout the playoffs?
The Brewers have done it, clinching the No. 1 overall seed in the National League and homefield throughout the 2025 postseason. A Phillies loss to Minnesota on Sept. 27 guaranteed that the Brewers would carry that distinction. The Phillies can still tie the Brewers for best record in baseball, but the Brewers have the tiebreaker.
When will the Brewers begin postseason games?
The Brewers will host the first two games of the National League Division Series on Oct. 4 and Oct. 6. They won’t know their opponent until the end of the wild-card series between the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds, the Cubs and Padres.
How is the ‘magic number’ calculated and what does it mean?
The magic number is the total number of outcomes that have to go right for a team to secure a specific position — like a playoff spot, a division title or a playoff seeding. That means any combination of Brewers wins, or losses by the team in comparison — like the Cubs for the NL Central title — will do the trick.
The magic number is a pretty easy calculation. Take the overall number of games in a season (162 in this case), add one (to 163), subtract the wins of the first place team (the Brewers have 96) and the losses of the nearest chasing competitor (the Phillies have 66).
That gives you a number of one. Adding the “1” to get 163 is necessary because the goal is to win outright and not simply finish with a tied record, but since the Brewers have the tiebreaker, the number is zero
How many games are left in the Brewers season?
The Brewers have one game left, Sept. 28 against the Reds.
Do the Brewers have the best record in all of Major League Baseball?
Yes, Milwaukee’s 96-65 record is one game better than Philadelphia for the best mark in all of baseball.
Are the Brewers on track to set a franchise record for wins?
The Brewers must win their final game of the season Sept. 28 to secure an outright franchise record of 97 wins. They have already equaled the 2011 and 2018 teams that previously held the record with 96 wins.
What is the Brewers record?
If the season ended today, the National League seeds would be…
The Brewers are guaranteed to finish better than every team but the Phillies but have the tiebreaker over Philadelphia and have clinched a first-round bye. The Phillies have clinched the NL East and a first-round bye. The Dodgers have clinched the NL West. The Cubs and Padres have clinched playoff spots and are guaranteed to face each other in the wild-card round, with the winner facing the No. 1 overall seed.
The Mets (83-78) don’t have the tiebreaker against the Reds and are currently outside the playoffs looking in. Only the Mets and Reds are remaining contenders for the final playoff spot in the NL.
Major League Baseball uses a true bracket and does not re-seed after the wild-card round. The Brewers will face the No. 4 and No. 5 winner if they keep the No. 1 seed.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What’s the Brewers’ magic number to win the No. 1 seed? Standings, record, NL playoff picture, MLB schedule
Reporting by JR Radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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