Will Brewers Clinch 1st-Round Bye vs. Phillies? Here's How They Can

The Milwaukee Brewers have a shot at clinching a first-round bye in the playoffs on Tuesday.

Sep 18, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Dustin May (21) pitches in the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Milwaukee Brewers already have locked up the National League Central and there could be another reason to celebrate as soon as Tuesday night.

Milwaukee's magic number to clinch a first-round bye is down to one. The Brewers can bring that number down to zero on Tuesday night in one of two ways. If the Brewers take down the Philadelphia Phillies, that would be the simplest way to lock up a first-round bye. Milwaukee will send Dustin May to the hill in the series opener against Philadelphia. If the Brewers lose on Tuesday, they can still look up at least the No. 2 seed in the National League playoffs if the Atlanta Braves were to lose against the Cincinnati Reds.

The Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers currently have the top two seeds in the National League with the Braves sitting at No. 3. Because of that, every loss by Atlanta lowers the Brewers' magic number for a first-round bye because they're the club just on the outside looking on on the two spots.

The Brewers Could Lock Up A 1st-Round Bye On Tuesday

Sep 20, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy looks on prior to the game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Milwaukee Brewers Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: James A. Pittman-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Both the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds get first-round byes in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. This in itself is very important. The Wild Card round is just a three-game series. They are volatile, to say the least. Even the best teams in the league can lose a three-game series if things don't shake out the right way, especially in the playoffs. Every inning is heightened. Avoiding a three-game playoff series is the best-case scenario and Milwaukee can clinch that as soon as Tuesday.

The Brewers' magic number to clinch the No. 1 seed in the National League in general is down to four. Soon enough, we should see Milwaukee clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs in general, which obviously is good. Milwaukee's first series will in be the National League Division Series. That's a five-game series, rather than three, and the Brewers would have home-field advantage.

If the Brewers lock up the No. 1 seed in the National League playoffs, they will face the winner of a Wild Card series between the teams with the No. 1 and No. 2 Wild Card spots. Right now, that would be either the Chicago Cubs or the San Diego Padres, although the Wild Card race is still up in the air.

That's looking ahead, though. The most important thing for Milwaukee on Tuesday would be simply beating the Phillies. Then, the Brewers wouldn't need to rely on anyone else to lock up a first-round bye.