If you haven’t heard the story behind Pat Murphy’s 200 Club, be forewarned that it’s code for a two-word phrase that includes a four-letter word. It dates back to the Brewers manager’s college coaching days. The four-letter word, after you add the I-N-G, ends up being seven. But the second word is really the one that matters.
Relentless. Which is exactly what these Milwaukee Brewers are. And exactly the reason why they’ll play their first World Series since 1982.
Yes, to paraphrase Dwayne Mosley’s iconic 1982 call, Milwaukee, you have another World Series. Your modern-day, unrelenting Brewers didn’t just beat the big, bad, billion-dollar Dodgers, they added an extra dose of poetic justice by revenge sweeping them in the National League Championship Series.
The relentless part? In every one of their NLCS wins, the Brewers trailed. And every single time, it didn’t matter one bit. Especially in Thursday night’s Game 4, when they trailed 4-0 in the second inning, only to rally for a 6-4 series-clinching win.
And if that 4-0 deficit made a few Brewers fans understandably nervous, the Brewers themselves had another plan in mind. As Dodgers Stadium came alive around them, what were they talking about in the dugout? Said Christian Yelich: “It’s gonna be a great story when we come back and win this.”
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When the story reached its magical ending, with the final out landing in Jackson Chourio’s glove, Brewers radio broadcaster Jeff Levering paid homage to the man who so wanted to live to see it. He borrowed from Bob Uecker’s Harry Doyle line in Major League, yelling, “Oh my God, the Brewers win the pennant!”
The hometown radio call of the Brewers winning the NL Pennant is ELECTRIC ‼️ https://t.co/xXMQJcxCnj
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) October 16, 2026
Folks were yelling all over Milwaukee, too, including at the city’s biggest watch party. So strong is this case of Brewers fever among its long-suffering fans that 16,228 people paid 15 of their hard-earned American dollars to watch the game on the big scoreboard at American Family Field. And frankly, the only surprising thing is that the place didn’t sell out.
Because the Brewers are taking everyone on a remarkable ride. Through baseball’s best regular-season record and a franchise-best 103 wins. Through a businesslike, though not particularly easy, four-game triumph over the San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series. And now, through the juggernaut Dodgers, too.
Through it all, they’ve displayed a confidence that was simultaneously calm and boisterously loud. Their on-field postgame celebrations have been noticeably sedate, a hint that they haven’t yet reached the one celebration they truly want.
By now, we’ve seen more than enough evidence that they have the team to accomplish it. And they’ve forced everyone to stop thinking of them as underdogs. No matter who they face in the World Series, they’ll be the betting favorite to win it. You read that right. The Brewers are favored to win the World Series.
Not just because of stars like Jacob Misiorowski and Jackson Chourio, William Contreras and, of course, Yelich’s and Murphy’s ever-present, ever-steady guiding hands. But because anyone on their roster can become a star on any given night.
Like Garret Mitchell calmy stealing a home run ball at the fence to help beat the Padres, then knocking a couple balls over the fence against the Dodgers, including the Game 4 winner.
Like Jake Bauers drawing an epic 12-pitch walk in Game 2 to turn the tide against star Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, then ending an epic 11-pitch at bat with a game-breaking homer in Game 3. The guy who almost quit baseball before joining the Brewers in 2024 is the MVP of the 2026 NLCS.
Every pitch from that UNREAL Jake Bauers at-bat 😤 11 pitches. One unforgettable moment. https://t.co/QpDMUMMPFP
— MLB (@MLB) October 15, 2026
Or David Hamilton stealing bases at will. And, for a bit of good measure, delivering an insurance solo homer against Dodgers star reliever Edwin Diaz.
And the rubber, electric arms of relievers Andy Ashby and Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe and Jojo Romero and the entire bullpen that locked up the Padres and Dodgers tighter than Fort Knox. And every other Brewer who has played roles big and small.
Because as Murph is so fond of saying, everybody on this ballclub has to the freedom of knowing it’s about something much bigger than them.
“You’re part of a team. You don’t have to do it yourself,” Murphy said before one of the Dodgers games. “It isn’t all about you. How can you help the team today?”
It’s a question ingrained in the Brewers culture. And it exudes from everyone, be it Captain Yelich or even their youngest players.
After rookie outfielder Luis Lara singled home the winning run in Milwaukee’s first win over the Padres, he was asked in the postgame press conference if the moment was a dream come true for him. But after the most meaningful individual play of his career, he didn’t offer the expected answer.
“The dream for me,” Lara said through translator Daniel de Mondesert, “will be to win the World Series.”
Well, today, Lara, the Brewers and all of Milwaukee are only four more wins from dreamland.
