MILWAUKEE — Much of this Brewers season felt familiar. They traded an All-Star (Freddy Peralta) approaching free agency for prospects to control costs and keep the pipeline full of talent. They smashed preseason projections to win the National League Central. They finished with the best record in the MLB for the second year in a row. They relied on young position players and even younger pitchers. Rinse and repeat from the last few years. But this year, however, they hope the end result will be different. They want a World Series. “We don’t use that loser card anymore because we showed what we showed in the last few years,” manager Pat Murphy said. “Yes, we are young, but we will not be anyone’s underdogs.” So after failing to make the Fall Classic in each of their last nine trips to the postseason, including seven of the previous eight years, what makes this the year for the Brewers? In other words, why is this team different? Outfielder Garrett Mitchell “That’s a good question. The group of guys in this clubhouse, from top to bottom, are built for success, right? Focused on every day. ‘Win the day’. I don’t feel like that’s changed over the years, but what feels different is that we’re in it until the 27th. This year, even down to the last guy out, we still have a chance. That feels different. It feels like the guys, including me too, that we were younger in recent years, they are a little older and they have been in this situation a little longer and they understand what needs to be done. But no one tries to do more than their role. It is about trusting each one from the top to the bottom. First baseman Jake Bauers “When I think about last year, I think there was an element of, maybe, a little bit of lack of confidence that we could do it. Maybe too much doubt. And I think coming into this postseason there’s a different feeling throughout the team. I think there’s been a concerted effort to make sure that everyone in the room knows what we’re capable of, and that it doesn’t require anyone to do something they can’t do. I think we’ve built a good team, a very good culture, and I think we all know that if one person doesn’t make it, there’s someone behind her who will be ready to help her. That’s something we’ve done all year, and I think that just builds confidence. “So I think you look at last season as an opportunity to learn from it, an opportunity to grow from it, and an opportunity to take advantage of what maybe we lacked last year and improve on it in this year. year.” “I just think we’re very good at finding ways to win games. It’s different every night. It’s not really the same formula, but we find a way to win when it comes to “winning time” at the end of the game. Guys make pitches, guys find a way to get on base, find a way to get a big hit. That’s what you need to win in October. You need to win moments.” Offense and Strategy Coordinator Jason Lane “We doubled down on execution with this group. In these playoff games, there may be an opportunity at that time, so you have to be prepared for it. You have to be ahead. I know a lot of people say, ‘You’ve got to home run in the playoffs,’ but I think it’s usually the team that beats that loses, you know what I mean? Many times it is a PFP [pitcher’s fielding practice] or something like that, and a game becomes unbalanced. But we’ve done a good job of executing in those moments. We can get walks, we can put pressure on you with speed on the bases and I feel like we have guys throughout the lineup that can hit home runs. We can stagger the lineup where we don’t have too many righties or lefties where we are vulnerable to bullpens. I just think we’re a balanced team.” President of Baseball Operations Matt Arnold “This team has a different edge. I was talking to Jason Shawger a little bit about this. He’s the equipment manager, the best in the business. He’s been here a long time and he’s been on these teams forever. They’re put together in a really unique way, they’re well balanced in a unique way. And I think they’ll be ready.” Second baseman Brice Turang “They’re the guys in this room. It is the bond we have created. The kids get along well here and there is an acceptance factor. It seems like everyone goes to every game to win and make that their number one goal. We all have that one goal. Maybe it’s the experience that a lot of the guys have been there and done that. We’ve got a lot of guys that might have been rookies last year and they’re a little bit older now, guys that are two or three years old and they’re a little bit older now. And then you also have your vets. We lean on each other to help each other through those times. It’s the experience we have in this clubhouse.” “I really think that, looking back at the last seven teams, this one really seems to fit together more in the clubhouse. They have always said: “Teams that play together, win together.” And we have our ways.” He nodded toward a portable craps table in the middle of the clubhouse and a horse-racing craps game that has provided hours of entertainment in recent weeks, with fanfare of trumpets to signal that the race is about to begin. “No matter what group it is, no matter what ethnicity or whatever, we come together. I think that’s the biggest difference. You have to have a clubhouse that drives that. You can’t have a group of individuals. That starts with the front office and Murph. He’s the leader on that, and then it’s our job as veterans here to make sure there’s a good atmosphere in the clubhouse. That’s a big part of it. That’s huge. Do you remember when you were a child when you played. when you are the team manager. You have to increase the attribution of team chemistry a lot to be successful.” Receiver William Contreras “We believe in ourselves a lot. We have a young group here and it’s important to know that the postseason is not the same as the regular season. But there is no doubt that we have high expectations for this team and expectations of being in the World Series and winning it. It’s a question of how to do it, but I think we have the right people here in the room and we believe we can do it.” “I would say you can see the caliber of the celebrations. This is hard to believe, four division titles in a row, and each year the celebration has become a little less festive, still lively, but a little less like it’s a big surprise. “I think this team has more confidence. Lighter, since they don’t stress as much about the little things. This team knows they need each other, so I think they are more accountable to each other. And I think they generally say, ‘Why not us? Let’s just do it.’ “We know what we went through last year and the year before.” We didn’t finish the last entry. [in 2024] but we had a really good club, a good fiber. Last year, most wins in baseball came with a bye and then an emotional series win. [over the Cubs in the NLDS]So, wow, I stumbled upon some pretty cool gear. [against the Dodgers in the NLCS] and we could never get our control. “I think we’re ready. There’s going to be a lot of adversity. I think they know that and I think they’ll stick to their belief and be able to respond, hopefully, very quickly. But in baseball, things can snowball in three pitches and all of a sudden, boom. The best team doesn’t always win the World Series… That’s why I love the regular season. I’m not saying I don’t love the postseason. I love the postseason and I’m planning for a great postseason. You put yourself in this position and then, hopefully, “You can recover quickly from any adversity and pursue it relentlessly and win those 11 games.” That search begins Saturday night. “Only one team gets that joy,” Murphy said. “But you have to start with the fundamental belief that it will be you.”
