Brewers' momentum-shifting effort continues familiar trend from 2025 season

In 2025, much of the Milwaukee Brewers' impressive success was attributed to "magic" or "luck." Doubters of the Brewers' style of play often pointed to their opponents committing error after error or breaks seemingly always falling Milwaukee's way as a reason for the NL Central champions winning 97 regular-season games last year.

However, over the course of a 162-game season, the argument holds far less merit. Sure, a team can get lucky during the span of a three-game series with breaks falling their way and errors from the other team. But when that trend extends throughout an entire six-month season, it becomes much clearer that some of this perceived fortune is the Brewers' doing.

It's no coincidence that one of the fastest teams in baseball, who consistently ranks towards the top of the league in stolen bases and is frequently running down to first base at full speed, also benefits from plenty of errors from their opponents. The Brewers' style of play, which could be described as "max effort at all times," no doubt puts pressure on their opponents to be perfect in the field. When they aren't perfect, the Brew Crew takes advantage, constantly capitalizing on the other team's mistakes.

Such was the case on Wednesday afternoon during the Brewers' 8-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. After Jacob Misiorowski surrendered a two-run homer in the top of the third inning, the offense answered with two runs of their own in the bottom of the frame thanks to a Brice Turang's first longball of the season. However, just two batters before Turang, David Hamilton laid a bunt down the third-base line and reached first base thanks to a throwing error from Rays' third baseman Junior Caminero. Without that play, Turang's homer wouldn't have tied the ballgame, and the afternoon might have looked much different.

Brewers' "max effort" style of play continues to force mistakes from their opponents

Hamilton's error-forcing bunt wasn't the only misplay from the Rays' defense that led to runs for the Brewers' offense. In the eighth inning, with the game tied at two and a runner at first base, Turang laid another bunt down the third base line, and once again, Caminero committed an error. Only this time it was a "missed catch" error from Caminero, who had flipped over to first base to start the inning. What followed was another six-run eighth inning from the Brewers' offense -- shockingly their second of the young season -- that propelled Milwaukee to their second consecutive series win to start the year.

The Brewers don't just force these mistakes from opposing defenses; what separates them from the rest of the league is that they capitalize on them once they occur. After the game, on the topic of the energy that defensive miscues from his opponents create, manager Pat Murphy said, "It's a momentum change in the game...When we do that, and we get on base that way, it puts a whole bunch of pressure on the other team."

Turang echoed his manager's sentiment in his postgame interview, noting that even the thought of what the Brewers might do on the basepaths or other teams knowing they will run full speed down to first base can cause them to rush on defense, which often leads to mistakes.

This identity of the Brewers' to do all the little things right and whatever it takes to win ballgames isn't going anywhere. It led many to cite "magic" as a reason for the team's success last year, and there's no doubt similar arguments will arise this year. But while doubters argue about the validity of the Brewers' success, Murphy's squad will continue playing the only way they know how: as hard as they can, all the time.