Can the Brewers turn their regular-season success into October glory?

People around baseball often say the regular season is a marathon, not a sprint. Getting through the six-month schedule following two months of spring training is the definition of a grind. And that doesn't even include trying to stay healthy and perform at a high level.

But when it comes to the grind of the MLB regular season, the Milwaukee Brewers have found the recipe for success. Regardless of the age of their roster, the inevitable injuries and the variables within their division, nothing seems to stop them from successfully making it through 162.

"One of the hardest things to do in the sport for me, and I'm certain for the players, is to stay in the now," Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. "Not complain, explain, forecast, predict — none of that. You look [too far] forward, you just get yourself in trouble. You start looking up at the prize. 'Look at that. Look at that. It's beautiful.'

Since 2018, Milwaukee has made it to the postseason in seven of eight seasons, which is the second-most appearances in MLB behind only the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Brewers are well on their way to another postseason appearance this year and are on pace to break their franchise record for wins in a season, after setting it last year with 97 victories.

With their streak of success over the past decade, the Brew Crew have established clear dominance in the NL Central. Milwaukee has taken the division crown in four of the past five seasons, and with a nine-game lead on the Chicago Cubs that has expanded with their head-to-head series this week, Milwaukee's reign is set to be extended at least another year.

"Big series in September, you kinda know at the beginning of the year that these games are gonna mean something," DH Christian Yelich said. "They have a good team over there, and they've been playing really well. You gotta play really well in order to beat 'em."

The Cubs took the series opener in emphatic fashion on Monday before the Brewers rallied back to win Tuesday and Wednesday . The two teams will conclude their series Thursday in Chicago and then play another three games next week in Milwaukee.

"I feel like we've been doing this all year," infielder Joey Ortiz said. "Doesn't matter what team or who's across the field. … We play to win no matter what."

The Brewers' regular-season success the past few years has led to plenty of October opportunities, but the question at this point is can they turn all that winning into postseason glory?

Last year, after finishing with baseball's best regular-season record, Milwaukee made its deepest run in the postseason since 2018, defeating the Cubs in the NLDS to reach the NLCS for just the fourth time in franchise history. The Brewers then ran into a buzzsaw in the NLCS, getting swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in deflating fashion.

This season is setting up similarly, as the Brewers, with 87 wins entering play Thursday, are in line once again to secure the NL's No. 1 seed, as well as the first-round bye and home-field advantage that come with it. But with their small market and lack of star power, the Brewers are not often considered one of the league's powerhouses. The team has reached the World Series just once, in 1982. As this golden era of Milwaukee baseball leads to yet another playoff run, is this the year that changes?

The biggest knock on the Brewers come playoff time is their lack of power. They currently rank third in MLB in runs scored (704), third in batting average (.257) and first in OBP (.340), and the Brewers' pitching staff is second in the sport with a 3.48 ERA. But when it comes to home runs, Milwaukee is currently tied with the Guardians for last in baseball, with 130 on the season, and they rank 16th in slugging (.400).

The small-ball approach has served the Brewers well in the regular season, but it doesn't always translate to October, where power usually wins. Even so, Murphy sees his team's versatility as a clear strength.

"I'm conscious of all sorts of things," he said. "Wearing guys out, playing time, mixing everybody in situations. The other night, I played Andrew Vaughn at third base. … Do I do that if I'm 'ruthless' about winning every single game? Probably not. But I have to think of those things. I can't just be blinded to and then get in situations later on [in the postseason] and not be prepared for it. So we do things to prepare ourselves for all the situations."

Murphy likes to make the joke that his team is a group of average joes, but the reality is they are one of the premier teams in the sport. As the 2026 Brewers put the finishing touches on another incredible regular season, the baseball world is waiting to see if they're capable of more once the calendar flips to October.