Milwaukee Brewers Extend Demoralizing Streak as Arizona Diamondbacks Reach World Series
The Milwaukee Brewers may have been eliminated from the playoffs three weeks ago, but they still found a way to make history Tuesday night.
The Arizona Diamondbacks squeezed by the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 7 the NLCS, punching their ticket to the World Series in the process. Arizona opened up its postseason against Milwaukee in the NL Wild Card Series, sweeping the best-of-three series with a pair of three-run victories.
As noted by Jomboy Media's "Talkin' Baseball," every team the Brewers have ever lost to in the postseason eventually went on to appear in the World Series. Six of the eight teams that have eliminated Milwaukee over the years have cashed in by winning a championship as well.
The Brewers played their first season in 1970, but didn't reach the playoffs until 1981. That year, they lost to the New York Yankees in the ALDS, setting the table for the Yankees to win the AL pennant. Milwaukee returned with a vengeance in 1982 by making the World Series themselves, only to lose to the St. Louis Cardinals in six games.
It took another 26 years before the Brewers returned to the postseason, and they were immediately thwarted by the Phillies in the 2008 NLDS. The Phillies won the World Series a few weeks later.
Milwaukee took the 2011 NLCS to six games, but they still lost to the eventual World Series champion Cardinals.
The Brewers then went on a six-year playoff drought before clinching spots in five of the last six seasons. They lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2018 NLCS, the Washington Nationals in the 2019 NL Wild Card Game, the Dodgers again in the 2020 NL Wild Card Series and the Atlanta Braves in the 2021 NLDS.
Milwaukee's loss to Arizona all but guaranteed the Diamondbacks' fate this fall, even if they entered the NLDS and NLCS as heavy underdogs. The D-Backs overcame those hurdles – perhaps in part due to the luck bestowed upon them by the Brewers – and they are now set to face off against the Texas Rangers with a title on the line.
Game 1 of the World Series is scheduled to start at 8:03 p.m. on Friday at Globe Life Field.
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