When the Milwaukee Brewers started the season 0-4, there was a great deal of talk from the media, and some fans, that their low-spending and frugal ways had finally caught up with them. During the offseason, they traded two-time All-Star closer Devin Williams to the New York Yankees for Nestor Cortes (who is in his final year of club control) and prospect Caleb Durbin.
This trade was just another in a long list of instances in which the Brewers decided to trade a high-profile player or let them go in free agency. Willy Adames, who set the franchise record for home runs in a season by a shortstop, was signed by the San Francisco Giants after the Brewers would not make him a contract offer that matched his market value.
Williams, Adames, Corbin Burnes, Josh Hader, the list can go on and on. Big-name stars and other players that will (and do) command large contracts are rarely locked up by Milwaukee.
And yet, they keep on winning.
The Milwaukee Brewers Embrace Anonymity in Their Success
Currently, the Brewers are 61-41, lead the National League Central Division, and hold the best record in all Major League Baseball. And they have accomplished this without a consistent home run hitter in the lineup. Instead, the team relies on good pitching and small ball (affectionately referred to as Murph-ball by fans in honor of manager Pat Murphy) to win games.
What is more, the players that lead the way, day in and day out, are unlikely and unknown names to most outside of Milwaukee. Sal Frelick, who won the Gold Glove in right field last year, has emerged as the team’s leadoff hitter (though he is currently on IL with a hamstring strain). Andrew Vaughn, the castoff from the Chicago White Sox, had 12 RBI in his seven games for Milwaukee.
Durbin, who did not even make the Opening Day roster, has three walk-off hits in his young career. Rookie Isaac Collins never gets talked about as a NL rookie of the year candidate, but is quietly hitting a respectable .267/.368/.396 with six home runs, 27 RBI, and 11 stolen bases.
Christian Yelich and Jackson Chourio are the team’s main home run hitters, but they are not hitting them at as high a rate as other teams’ power hitters. Still, they affect the game with their base running and propensity for driving in runs.
And this does not even take into account Milwaukee’s pitchers. Of the five pitchers in their starting rotation on Opening Day, just Freddy Peralta remains. Injuries took its toll on the initial rotation, and other starters were able to return later after the year began to give a boost.
Currently, the Brewers’ starting rotation consists of Peralta, Quinn Priester, Jacob Misiorowski, Brandon Woodruff, and Jose Quintana.
But along the way, they also received numerous starts and contributions from rookies like Logan Henderson and Chad Patrick.
So, how do they keep winning?
Milwaukee Brewers All-Star Trevor Megill Credits the “Power of Friendship” for the Team’s Success
The answer is a mystery that has many analysts digging deep into advanced stats to find out the mathematical reason for the Brewers’ success. Many fans of opposing fanbases claim Milwaukee has just hit an long streak of luck that is not sustainable.
But the players do not believe that is true. To them, it is their bond, their common goal, that makes winning games at a high rate possible.
According to MLB insider Bob Nightengale, Milwaukee’s All-Star closer Trevor Megill wants the team to start wearing similar T-shirts around town so people recognize them and understand what they are all about.
“We’re going to start wearing ‘Power of Friendship’ T-shirts,” Megill said to Nightengale, “then people can start recognizing who we are. I mean, people were freaking out last year when we won 93 games. Maybe they didn’t think we could do it again.”
With 60 games remaining in the 2025 MLB season, the Brewers would need to go 32-28 to match last year’s win total. And by the look of how they are playing now, that does not seem very far out of the realm of possibility.
The season is, of course, far from over, and they only have a one-game lead over the Chicago Cubs in the division.
But it would be foolish to brush Milwaukee’s hot streak off. They are hungry. And they want to win. For themselves. For each other. And, of course, for Bob Uecker.
More Milwaukee Brewers News from Wisconsin Sports Heroics
- Brewers Rumored to Be Interested in 2025 All-Star Infielder
- “It’s Not Something We Do;” Brewers Manager Pat Murphy Chastises Team for “Egregious” Behavior in the Dugout
- Brewers Phenom Jacob Misiorowski Speaks on 64-Pitch Short Outing
For More Great Wisconsin Sports Content
Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19 and follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!
