World Series-champion Brewers inspire list of 10 greatest playoff runs in North American sports history

The Milwaukee Brewers put the finishing touch on a sublime postseason run Wednesday night, ousting the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 5 of the World Series to claim the first championship in franchise history.

William Contreras earned MVP honors for Milwaukee, slashing .381/.435/.429 and playing stellar defense behind the plate. Jackson Chourio (11-for-24) and Cooper Pratt (seven RBI) also contributed mightily to the Brewers' cause. 

With only two playoff losses (by one run apiece), it got us thinking about where Milwaukee's 2026 postseason ranks among the most dominant in North American sports. We rank the top 10 below.

Note: Minimum three series to qualify.

1. 2001 Los Angeles Lakers (15-1)

Western Conference first round: 3-0 • WC semifinals: 4-0 • WCF: 4-0 • NBA Finals: 4-1

After squeaking by the Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers en route to the first championship of the Shaq-Kobe era in 2000, the Lakers steamrolled through the competition in '01, beginning the playoffs with 11 consecutive wins while sweeping their way to the NBA Finals. There, the Allen Iverson-led Philadelphia 76ers took Game 1 in a 107-101 stunner (when Iverson famously stepped over Ty Lue) before the glitch in the matrix quickly corrected itself and the Lakers won the next four.

2. 2005 Chicago White Sox (11-1)

ALDS: 3-0 • ALCS: 4-1 • World Series: 4-0

The White Sox cruised to their first title in 88 years in 2005, with their only playoff loss coming by one run to the Los Angeles Angels in the ALCS. Overall, Chicago outscored its opponents by 2.75 runs per game, a half-run more than the 1999 Yankees, the only other one-loss World Series champion of the expanded playoff era (since 1995).

3. 1999 New York Yankees (11-1)

ALDS: 3-0 • ALCS: 4-1 • World Series: 4-0

The 1998 Yankees were one of the greatest teams in MLB history, finishing the regular season with 114 wins, the most by a World Series champion. But it was during the second of three consecutive titles when New York really flexed its muscle in the playoffs. 

In an ALDS sweep, the Yankees outscored the Texas Rangers, 14-1. Their only loss was a lopsided 13-1 defeat to Pedro Martinez and the Boston Red Sox in the next round, although they also had to sweat out a pair of extra-inning victories, including to the 103-win Atlanta Braves in a World Series sweep.

4. 2017 Golden State Warriors (16-1)

Western Conference first round: 4-0 • WC semifinals: 4-0 • WCF: 4-0 • NBA Finals: 4-1

After Kevin Durant joined the Warriors in free agency ahead of the 2016-17 season, it was game over for the rest of the NBA. Golden State was never challenged on its path to the 2017 NBA Finals, sweeping the Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference playoffs, with 10 of its 12 wins coming by double digits.

The Warriors' one blemish was in Game 4 of the Finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers, when they briefly lost focus in a 137-116 loss. Despite that ugly performance, the Warriors finished their run with with a margin of victory of 13.53 points per game, the best of any one-loss NBA champion since 1967-68.

5. 1983 Philadelphia 76ers (12-1)

Eastern Conference semifinals: 4-0 • ECF: 4-1• NBA Finals: 4-0

"Fo', fo', fo'."

That was a nearly prophetic Moses Malone ahead of Philly's incredible 1983 title run. The Hall of Fame center famously set a high bar for the Sixers in the playoffs after an impressive 65-17 regular season, and he nearly delivered on the promise when leading the franchise to its most recent Larry O'Brien Trophy.

Philadelphia's one loss came against the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals, but the Sixers were challenged throughout the first two rounds, with six of their eight wins by single digits, including three by three or fewer points.

6. 1976 Montreal Canadiens (12-1)

Quarterfinals: 4-0 • Semifinals: 4-1 • Stanley Cup Final: 4-0

The Canadiens set the tone for a stretch of four consecutive Stanley Cups under legendary coach Scotty Bowman with a brilliant 1976 title run. During a quarterfinals sweep, Montreal outscored the Chicago Blackhawks, 13-3, while it needed five games to take down the New York Islanders.

In the Stanley Cup Final, the Canadiens, who led the NHL with 127 points, easily dispatched the league's second-best team, the Philadelphia Flyers, in a sweep, scoring 14 goals while Hall of Fame goalie Ken Dryden recorded a 90.2 percent save rate.

7. 1991 Chicago Bulls (15-2)

Eastern Conference first round: 3-0 • EC semifinals: 4-1 • ECF: 4-0 • NBA Finals: 4-1

Led by all-time great Michael Jordan, the Bulls were the defining NBA franchise of the 1990s, and their dynastic stretch of six league titles during the decade began with the franchise's most dominant playoff run.

Chicago won its first playoff game that season by 41 points over the New York Knicks on the way to a three-game sweep. Then, following a five-game East semifinal, it got revenge over the hated Detroit Pistons after back-to-back Eastern Conference finals losses (1989, 1990) with a sweep in the 1991 rematch. The Bulls' two losses came by a combined four points.

Jordan averaged 31.2 points per game with a title on the line against the Lakers en route to earning Finals MVP honors, with Chicago outscoring Los Angeles by 9.8 points per game during the five-game series, a larger margin than the 2001 Lakers and 2017 Warriors managed (6.8 points per game each) in their decisive Finals wins.

8. 2026 Milwaukee Brewers (11-2)

NLDS: 3-1 • NLCS: 4-0 • World Series: 4-1

Milwaukee nearly had a case for the most dominant playoff run ever but instead will settle for being in the conversation with only two losses en route to a title.

Considering the following:

• Milwaukee's two defeats were by one run apiece, including World Series Game 4 in 12 innings.
• The Brewers swept the two-time defending-champion Los Angeles Dodgers, who went 100-62 during the regular season.
• They then beat AL's top seed, the Rays, who led the AL at 98-64.

Not only was Milwaukee nearly perfect this postseason, it beat the best the sport had to offer along the way. With timely hitting — the Brew Crew hit .327 (25-for-73) with runners in scoring position and produced 11 two-out RBI in the World Series — and a clamp-down relief staff that produced the second-lowest bullpen ERA for an entire postseason (1.38) — only trailing the 2022 Astros (more on them in a bit) — the Brewers were a juggernaut the likes of which we rarely see.