Brewers Magic Number: How Milwaukee Can Clinch NL Central On Sunday

The Milwaukee Brewers already popped champagne once this month, but the clubhouse will be full of bottles and ice again on Sunday.

Thanks to their win on Saturday over the St. Louis Cardinals, plus the Chicago Cubs' loss against the Cincinnati Reds, the Brewers led the Cubs by seven games entering Sunday with seven to go. That means if they win a single game the rest of the way, or if the Cubs lose a single game, they'll be the National League Central champions.

It would be nice and tidy to put the Cardinals away in the 1:15 p.m. CT series finale on Sunday and head straight to the clubhouse to revel. The Cubs game begins 35 minutes earlier, so if Milwaukee loses, it will probably know whether Chicago has allowed it to clinch, or if the party will have to wait at least one more day.

Brewers' magic numbers to clinch division, home-field advantage

Jackson Chourio and Blake Perkins — Sep 20, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Jackson Chourio (11) is congratulated by center fielder Blake Perkins (16) after scoring against the St. Louis Cardinals during the tenth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Milwaukee (95-60) doesn't have much more to do to land that division title, as mentioned. But the ultimate goal at this point is home-field advantage throughout the postseason, or in other words, finishing with the best record in Major League Baseball.

The only other team with at least 90 wins is the Philadelphia Phillies (92-63). Milwaukee owns the tiebreaker over Philadelphia, so with seven games to play, the Brewers' magic number to ensure the entire postseason goes through American Family Field is four.

At this point, the Brewers can start focusing on resting whichever players they think need it, as they travel to the West Coast to play the San Diego Padres from Monday to Wednesday this week before coming home to Milwaukee for three games to close out the regular season against the Cincinnati Reds.

Then, if they do lock up the division (99.9% chance of that at this point), they'll bypass the Wild Card Series and host Game 1 of the National League Division Series on Saturday, Oct. 4.

The Brewers have put themselves in the perfect position to this point. They've got a couple of odds and ends to tie up, but for the most part, it's on to October.

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