Milwaukee Brewers' Historic Streak Snapped as New York Mets Fall Short in NLCS

Prior to the New York Mets' loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 6 of the NLCS on Sunday, every team that had ever eliminated the Milwaukee Brewers from the postseason had reached the World Series.

Milwaukee Brewers fall to the New York Mets in Game 3 of National League Wild Card Series on Thursday, October 3, 2024, at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. / Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

For the last 55 years, every team that knocked the Milwaukee Brewers out of the playoffs went on to win a pennant.

That streak came to an end on Sunday night.

The New York Mets lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 6 of the NLCS, getting eliminated from the postseason as a result. Now, the Dodgers are World Series-bound, having staked their own claim on the National League pennant.

New York's playoff journey started in the NL Wild Card Series, where they defeated Milwaukee in three games. Even before they proved themselves in the NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies, history suggested that beating the Brewers had already cemented the Mets as a true contender on that side of the bracket.

Instead, New York came up two wins short. They are now the only club ever to beat the Brewers in the playoffs that didn't get to the final round of the postseason.

The Brewers, who played their inaugural season in 1970, made the playoffs for the first time in 1981. They lost to the New York Yankees in the ALDS, setting the Bronx Bombers on the path to their 33rd AL pennant.

The very next year, Milwaukee made it to the World Series themselves, but lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games.

Following a 25-year postseason drought, the Brewers got knocked out by the eventual World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies in the 2008 NLDS. They reached the NLCS in 2011, only to come face-to-face with the Cardinals, who went on to win the Fall Classic as well.

The 2018 Dodgers beat the Brewers in the NLCS, then lost to the Boston Red Sox in the World Series, but the 2019 Washington Nationals, 2020 Dodgers and 2021 Atlanta Braves all went through Milwaukee on their way to a title. The 2023 Arizona Diamondbacks, although they didn't win the World Series, also defeated the Brewers en route to an NL pennant.

The Mets were unable to join that club in 2024, breaking at least part of the Brewers' curse.

Milwaukee won its fourth NL Central crown in seven years under first-time manager Pat Murphy this season. Perhaps the team can spin that into a more successful October come 2025, and maybe even net the franchise their first World Series crown.

Full playoff schedule in real time

• MLB POSTSEASON SCHEDULE: The 2024 playoffs are finally coming to a head, with the AL and NL pennant-winners now set in stone. Here is the latest on the schedule, with dates, game times, TV information and pitching matchups. CLICK HERE

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