Milwaukee Brewers are embracing the pressure and their youth as NLDS begins: 'There's a different feeling around the team'

MILWAUKEE — For years, the Milwaukee Brewers have been seen as an underdog — at least on paper.

It's easy to see why that narrative has hung around. The Brewers are consistently one of the youngest teams in the sport, and they play in baseball's smallest market. But this team has shown for the better part of the past decade that they're not to be overlooked. In fact, they've consistently been one of MLB's best. This season, Milwaukee not only had baseball's best record, but also their 103 wins set a franchise record.

And yet, despite their regular-season success, in the postseason, the Brewers have had their fair share of disappointment in recent years.

" Two years ago, we got beat by a ninth-inning homer by [Pete] Alonso when we had one of the best relievers in baseball on the mound," Brewers manager Pat Murphy said, referring to his team's loss to the Mets in the 2024 wild-card round. "So that happens. We had an opportunity to move on. We were right there.

"Last year, we ran into a team that was very, very hot," he said of the 2025 NLCS sweep at the hands of the Dodgers. "I think everybody would say that. They're not only hot, but they were super talented, super built for that. They played their best baseball that series."

This time around, the Brewers' test is not about talent. It's about getting over a hump that has stymied them for the past 44 years. Milwaukee has never won the World Series and hasn't been there since 1982, when the Brewers were a member of the American League and lost in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals.

What makes this Brewers team different from other quality teams who failed to reach the World Series? Experience, for one thing. Much of this 2026 team was on the roster for the 2024 wild-card defeat and the 2025 NLCS sweep.

Even though Milwaukee is often one of the younger teams in baseball, going through the lows of disappointing playoff exits can bring a level of experience even in a short amount of time. And building that type of callus becomes its own advantage over the course of a 162-game season and heading into another postseason with high expectations.

"I think there's a different edge to this team," president of baseball operations Matt Arnold said. "They're bonded together in a really unique way. They're well-balanced in a unique way. And I think they'll be ready."

No matter how ready they are, there is no easy path for the Brewers to reach the Fall Classic. The San Diego Padres, whom they face starting Saturday in the NLDS , have been baseball's hottest team for the past six weeks. And getting through San Diego means a date with either the Atlanta Braves, who have been firing on all cylinders lately, or the back-to-back World Series champion Dodgers, who ran through Milwaukee last season.

But these Brewers don't talk like they want an easy road. In fact, they're using those past disappointments as fuel for what they believe they're capable of in the present.

"I think back to last year, I think there was an element of maybe a little bit of lack of belief that we could do it," first baseman Jake Bauers said. "Maybe a little too much doubt. And I think going into this postseason, there's a different feeling around the team.

"I think there's been a concerted effort to make sure that everybody in the room knows what we're capable of and that it doesn't require anybody to do something that they're not able to do."

It's hard to look at the Brewers' roster and not notice how young they are compared to other teams in the playoff field (outside the also very young Chicago White Sox). Ten of the 26 players on Milwaukee's postseason roster are under the age of 27. But the Brewers have the unique advantage of being both young and experienced. Star outfielder Jackson Chourio is just 22 years old but has already played in three full MLB seasons and two postseasons.

And he has already proven that when the lights are brightest, he can be at his best, with a 1.044 OPS and four homers in 12 postseason games.

"I don't think youth hurts us. I think youth helps us because these guys are forging their mindsets and creating their approach to the game," Murphy said. "I think youth in a lot of ways helps us. And I think that's been a key more than people know to have those young, hungry players.

"The year that the Washington Nationals came from the wild card to win it all, were they necessarily the best team? They were the best team at that time because of what they went through … And that's how it works. But I don't think the youth is an excuse by any means. I think, especially the way we play, I think there's a lot of value in having that youth."

There might be more pressure on this Brewers team than there has been on any Milwaukee team in a long time. But as they begin their journey to try to get back to the World Series for the first time in 44 years, that doesn't seem to rattle them. Maybe, in some ways, that pressure has even made them stronger.

"We've built a really good team, a really good culture, and I think we believe in each other," Bauers said. "I think we all know that whether one person doesn't get it done, there's someone right behind them that's going to be ready to pick them up. And that's something that we've done all year, and I think that's only added to the confidence."