It's arguably the most important question for organizations and fans across Major League Baseball; how do you win in the playoffs?
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you → win → playoffs
There's a theoretical formula for getting to October, draft and develop well, build a complete roster that has depth at key positions, use analytics to piece together the best mix of skill sets and sign targeted free agents to fill in missing pieces.
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that → be → pieces
The more money you have, the easier it is to sign those free agents, of course, but as the Yankees, Mets, Giants, and Angels will tell you, playing in a big market and acquiring expensive talent doesn't always guarantee results.
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playing → have → results
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page → contain → partners
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News → sign → wager
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that → create → newsroom
But once you're in the postseason, how can you ensure your team gets a spot in the World Series?
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team → ensure → Series
The ultimate goal, the only outcome that matters, and the only determinant of the "best team in baseball?"
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that → matter → baseball
The 2026 Milwaukee Brewers are showing the rest of the sport exactly how it's done.
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it → show → sport
For context, the Brewers enter Thursday afternoon as overwhelming favorites to advance to the World Series thanks to their 3-0 series lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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Brewers → enter → Dodgers
The Dodgers have the most expensive roster in the sport, though by active player payroll in 2026 they did trail the New York Mets, depending on which source you use.
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you → have → source
They traded away Freddy Peralta, their best pitcher, in 2025, a year after trading star closer Devin Williams to the Yankees, and trading Corbin Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles.
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They → trade → Orioles
Their big offseason acquisitions were backup catcher Gary Sanchez, Angel Zerpa, Jake Woodford, and a trade to bring in David Hamilton, Shane Drohan and Kyle Harrison from the Boston Red Sox for infielder Caleb Durbin and a few other players.
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acquisitions → bring → Durbin
During the season, their big moves were watching Tarik Skubal go to the Dodgers, getting Dustin May and JoJo Romero, and adding reliever Antonio Senzatela.
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Skubal → watch → Senzatela
If that sounds underwhelming, it's because it is.
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it → sound → ?
Yet in game one of the NLCS, the Brewers beat Skubal 2-1.
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Brewers → beat → Skubal
In game two, they came roaring back from deficit after deficit, knocking out World Series hero Yoshinobu Yamamoto on their way to an easy 7-4 win.
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they → come → win
In game three, they fell behind late, only to score five straight runs and cruise to yet another 6-2 win.
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they → fall → win
So how are they doing it?
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they → do → it
They've found the blueprint.
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They → find → blueprint
Milwaukee, we've been told by very experienced baseball analysts, is winning because they don't strike out.
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they → tell → analysts
Their approach is based on contact.
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approach → base → contact
Put the ball in play, the thinking goes, don't just try and hit home runs.
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thinking → put → runs
These analysts have decades of experience at the highest level of baseball.
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analysts → have → baseball
Obviously, they'd have enormous insight and detailed statistical breakdowns backing up their opinions.
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they → have → opinions
Well, in game one of the NLCS, the Dodgers struck out eight times, meaning they put the ball in play on 23 of their 31 at bats.
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they → strike → bats
Milwaukee struck out 13 times, only putting the ball in play in 13 of their 26 at bats.
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Milwaukee → strike → bats
So the Dodgers' home run approach resulted in...fewer strikeouts and more balls put in play.
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approach → result → play
10 more balls put in play, in fact, a massive number in just one game.
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balls → put → game
But the Brewers won anyway, 2-1.
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Brewers → win → ?
In game two of the NLCS, the Dodgers struck out nine times, while Milwaukee struck out 10.
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Milwaukee → strike → 10
Funnily enough, the only home run was hit by William Contreras for the Brewers.
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run → hit → Brewers
They won 7-4.
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They → win → ?
In game three, Milwaukee struck out a whopping 12 times in 35 at bats against Blake Snell and the Dodgers bullpen.
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Milwaukee → strike → Snell
Their hitters had just eight strikeouts in 32 at bats.
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hitters → have → bats
The Dodgers put the ball in play 24 times, Milwaukee did 23 times.
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Milwaukee → put → play
Yet the Brewers won 6-2 anyway.
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Brewers → win → ?
Because they hit three home runs, while Los Angeles yet again put up a goose egg.
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Angeles → hit → egg
So in three games, the Brewers have struck out 35 times, averaging nearly 12 per game.
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Brewers → strike → game
The Dodgers have struck out 25 times, or just over eight per game.
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Dodgers → strike → game
…and 54 more, not listed.
The Aporia
