The Milwaukee Brewers were the best team in baseball over the 162-game regular season.
Their next goal: Keep that the case in the much shorter playoffs.
The Brewers went 103-59 during the season, winning the NL Central and finishing three games better than the 100-win Los Angeles Dodgers, who are the back-to-back World Series champs.
Milwaukee has been just about this good in the regular season the last few years, too, but they haven’t had the postseason success to show for it.
That hasn’t stopped the Brewers from following their team-building approach and continuing to play the game the right way for manager Pat Murphy.
When their 2026 postseason begins, they’ll hope that they can reverse recent trends and continue their great regular season into the playoffs.
Why Aren’t Brewers Playing Today?
The Brewers are off for the entire Wild Card Round of the MLB playoffs because they earned a first-round bye.
They won’t be back in action until the National League moves on to the Divisional Series.
How Does First-Round Bye Work?
When the league expanded to six teams in each league making the playoffs, these current rules took hold.
The top-two teams in each league get a first-round bye — specifically, the two division champions with the best record.
In this year’s National League, that was the NL Central champ Brewers and the NL West champion Dodgers.
Milwaukee earned the 1-seed and the bye that came with it. The Wild Card Series includes the 3-, 4-, 5- and 6-seeded teams for the right to advance and play the Brewers and Dodgers.
Who Do Brewers Play Next?
The Brewers have one series to watch in the first round: Chicago Cubs at San Diego Padres.
The bracket is set up so that the Brewers play the winner of the 4v5 series — it means they wouldn’t have to play the 3-seed, which would be a disadvantage by seeding.
MLB doesn’t re-seed, though, so even if the 6-seed beats the 3-seed (Phillies, Braves) the Brewers would still play either the 4- or 5-seed.
The Padres are hosting the Cubs in what should be a fascinating best-of-three Wild Card Series.
When’s the Brewers’ Next Game?
The first game of the National League Divisional Round is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 3.
The Brewers will host.
Given that the Dodgers are on the West Coast, and are the Dodgers, it seems like they’ll get the later start time.
It would make sense to see the Brewers at some time on Saturday afternoon, but that hasn’t been announced yet, and could also depend on whether the Cubs or Padres win their series.
It’s weird for a baseball team to have to wait around for a few days to play, but the Brewers will surely have a good plan and be ready to go.
Milwaukee Brewers Next Game: Who They Play, When It Is, How First-Round Bye Works