Brewers Immediate Next Steps After Clinching 2026 Playoff Spot

Sep 11, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Dustin May (21) delivers a pitch against the Cincinnati Reds in the first inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Brewers Immediate Next Steps After Clinching 2026 Playoff Spot

Originally posted on Milwaukee Brewers on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Sep 11, 2026 10:14 PM ET

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The Milwaukee Brewers entered the day on Friday with two ways to become the first team in the National League to clinch a playoff berth.

As Milwaukee kicked off a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds, it needed to either win on Friday night, or it needed the Arizona Diamondbacks and the San Diego Padres to both lose. Well, rather than waiting to see how Arizona and San Diego did, the Brewers simply took care of business themselves.

Milwaukee throttled the Reds in the series opener, 20-0 and clinched a spot in the National League playoffs in the process. Now, the next step is going to be locking up the top spot in the National League Central and eventually the top seed in the National League overall. Milwaukee is in the driver's seat in both categories. The Brewers entered the day with a magic number of five in the NL Central. That has dropped to four. The Brewers entered the day with a magic number of 14 in the National League in general. That's now down to 13.

With the win, the Brewers have guaranteed themselves a spot in the postseason. At the end of the day, it was a foregone conclusion that the Brewers would eventually land a playoff spot. Milwaukee has the best record in baseball with just a few weeks to go in the regular season. When you have the best record in the league, of course you're going to clinch a playoff spot.

The Milwaukee Brewers Are Going To The Playoffs

Last year, the Brewers set a franchise record for wins in a season by racking up 97 victories throughout the 2025 campaign. In that historic campaign, the Brewers were the first team in baseball to clinch a playoff berth. They did so on Sep. 13, 2025. The Brewers are on pace to break the franchise record for wins in a season for the second straight year and have clinched a playoff berth two days sooner as well.

Everything is looking up for Milwaukee. With a playoff berth now clinched, the next step will be clinching the National League Central in general. With the Brewers winning, the magic number now drops to four. The Chicago Cubs won on Friday, so the number is not going down any further just yet.

From here on out, the Brewers need some sort of combination of wins by Milwaukee and losses by Chicago. Every win from here on out will lower the NL Central magic number and every loss by the Cubs will do the same.

It's been a magical season in Milwaukee. The Brewers entered the 2026 season with most of the league counting the club out after trading Freddy Peralta away. Fast forward a few months, and Milwaukee is the first team in the National League to punch its ticket to the postseason.

This article first appeared on Milwaukee Brewers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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