Brewers continue to lead MLB in one strange statistic as 2026 season gets underway

As the first week of the regular season comes to a close, the Milwaukee Brewers are looking to continue their strong start to the 2026 campaign. Not only are the Brewers leading the National League in runs scored and stolen bases, but their pitching staff is racking up a ton of early strikeouts, and their defense has yet to commit an error.

The result is a 5–1 start to the season, during which the Brewers have continued to beat up on interleague opponents. So far, the Brew Crew has won series against the Chicago White Sox, who have finished last in the AL Central by a wide margin in each of the last two seasons, and the Tampa Bay Rays, who face stiff competition in a loaded AL East division. The Brewers' early season scheduling quirk of facing American League opponents isn’t slowing down either, as their next six contests will follow the same pattern. Milwaukee is scheduled for a three-game set with the Kansas City Royals -- two of which will happen this afternoon following last night's postponement -- before traveling to Fenway Park for a three-game series with the Boston Red Sox.

Interestingly, this heavy slate of interleague play should work in the Brewers' favor. In recent seasons, they’ve quietly been the most successful team in baseball in these cross-league matchups, posting the best record in the majors against interleague opponents since 2022.

Brewers' unmatched success against American League opponents has carried into the 2026 season

As reported by the Brewers' Senior Director of Media Relations, Mike Vassallo, entering Saturday’s doubleheader against the Kansas City Royals on April 4, the Brewers boast an MLB-best 107–59 record in interleague games since 2022. That .645 winning percentage is particularly impressive given that MLB adopted a balanced schedule in 2023, featuring 46 interleague games per team each season.

Brewers fans are hoping the team continues to perform at a high level against AL opponents over the next five days, and builds off their excellent 5-1 record through the first week of the season. After this stretch, the Crew will finally face a National League opponent in the Washington Nationals, though they still have six more interleague games -- against the Toronto Blue Jays and Detroit Tigers -- later this month.

Milwaukee’s only divisional games in April are against the Pittsburgh Pirates. They won’t face the St. Louis Cardinals until May 4, the Chicago Cubs on May 18, and won't play their first game against the Cincinnati Reds until June 22. With interdivision games now serving as primary tiebreakers, those matchups carry more significance than interleague contests. Regardless, the Brewers have taken advantage of a pair of favorable matchups to start the 2026 season, and will look to continue this impressive streak of success against AL opponents with a doubleheader against the Royals this afternoon.