Box Score
The Brewers didn’t have anything left to play for, and today’s goal was very simple: no one get hurt. Milwaukee achieved that goal, but hey, why not go out and pick up a sweep and a franchise record 103rd win while they’re at it? Jacob Misiorowski, in a postseason tune-up, put together one more excellent performance to cap what will almost certainly be a Cy Young-winning season, and the offense showed us exactly what has made them special all season as they picked up six runs on ten hits
early in the game before cruising to victory.
The first inning of this game felt like a perfect encapsulation of the Brewers’ regular season. In the top of the first, the presumptive National League Cy Young winner went out and quickly retired the side in order, cruising at around 101.5 mph. In the bottom of the inning, the first four Brewers, Garrett Mitchell, Jake Bauers, Jackson Chourio, and Brice Turang, all singled off of Cardinals starter Andre Pallante, the latter two of which scored runs. Turang, whose hit was of the infield variety, had his 100th RBI of the season and got a nice ovation from the home crowd.
Gary Sánchez made the first out of the inning on a fielder’s choice, but he hustled down the line and ensured that the Cardinals would have no double play opportunity. Captain Christian Yelich and Cooper Pratt continued the hit parade with two more singles, the first of which scored Chourio, and the Brewers had a 3-0 lead before Sal Frelick grounded into an inning-ending double play.
The first blemish on Misiorowski’s line came with one out in the second when Frelick was not quite able to make a diving catch on a lazy fly ball from Thomas Saggese in shallow right. But Miz retired the next two and had two scoreless innings to start his afternoon. Pallante had a much easier time in the second, and got David Hamilton, Mitchell, and Bauers in order.
Misiorowski continued with another scoreless inning in the third, as he worked around a one-out walk. Chourio led off the bottom of the third with his second single of the day. Turang, next up, smoked a line drive at 106 mph but hit it right to Saggese at shortstop for the first out. The next batter, Sánchez, got a hold of one to the opposite field and snuck it over the wall in right for a two-run homer, his 12th of the season.
Somewhat surprisingly, Misiorowski—who threw only three innings in his last outing—was back out for the fourth. To his own exasperation, he walked the leadoff hitter, Leo Bernal. But the next batter, Nolan Gorman, became Misiorowski’s 250th strikeout victim of the season, and Saggese grounded into a 5-4-3 double play that ended the inning.
Milwaukee struck again in the bottom of the fourth. With one out, Hamilton reached on a dribbler that sat on the dirt down the third-base line, pretty much the most David Hamilton hit of all time. Mitchell drew a walk, and Bauers nearly cleared the bases with a 105 mph drive to the left-field gap but Nathan Church ran it down for the second out. Chourio was next, though, and for the third time in the game he came through with a single, this one a two-out, run-scoring liner into right. Milwaukee led 6-0 after four.
Misiorowski had another 1-2-3 inning in the fifth—it was somewhat surprising to see him continue, but he was extremely efficient today and only had 64 pitches through five innings. Pallante had a clean fifth, an Misiorowski came back out for the top of the sixth—Pedro Pagés singled on the first pitch of the inning, but a three-pitch strikeout of Jordan Walker led to Pat Murphy making a semi-ceremonial pitching change that allowed his ace to get a standing ovation from the home crowd.
After DL Hall finished the inning, Miz’s afternoon—and his legendary regular season—were finished. His official ERA on the season was 1.80, by far the best ever for a qualifying starter in Brewers history, ahead of Mike Caldwell’s 2.36 in 1978. He also added his name to an extremely exclusive list:
Pallante gave way to Justin Bruihl in the bottom of the sixth and got a 1-2-3 inning, and Hall and Bruihl again followed with six more consecutive outs. César Prieto ended that streak when he led off the top of the eighth with a triple off of Chad Patrick, a ball which Mitchell nearly ran down in deep right-center but which deflected off his glove. Pagés continued his afternoon with a walk, his second of the game, and he hadn’t been retired in three at-bats. St. Louis plated its first run of the day on an RBI fielder’s choice from Walker, who avoided a double play and advanced to second when Pratt’s rushed relay throw got past Bauers at first.
Patrick walked Iván Herrera, which led to a visit from the dugout and a hurried Shane Drohan warmup in the bullpen, but the next batter, Bernal, popped a deep home run to the second deck in right, which made it 6-4. That was it for Patrick, who did not look sharp in his last outing before the postseason. Drohan entered and got the next two to stop the bleeding and preserve the Brewers’ lead.
The 24-year-old righty Hancel Rincon was on for his third career appearance in the bottom of the eighth, and a 1-2-3 inning became the first scoreless outing of his big-league career. Drohan made the ninth look easy, and after retiring all five batters he faced, Drohan had the second save of his rookie season, and the Brewers had a sweep and 103 wins.
Misiorowski added to his 2026 legend with 5 1/3 scoreless innings of two-hit ball that led to his 16th win of the year. Jackson Chourio picked up three hits, scored twice, and knocked two runs in to finish with .291 batting average. Turang picked up his 100th RBI. Sánchez hit a two-run homer. No one got hurt. The Brewers are ready for the playoffs.
The Brewers don’t play again until Saturday, but we’ll have plenty of stuff for you to read this week, and we’ll have discussions up for the Wild Card round. It’s been a magical season! Thanks for being a part of it.
