Brewers set to make MLB playoff history after Cubs advance to NLDS

Well folks, it's happening. For the first time in the history of Major League Baseball, the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs are meeting in the postseason.

The Cubs took Game 1 of the Wild Card Series on Tuesday afternoon, by a score of 3-1, beating the Padres behind a strong performance from their starter Matthew Boyd and back-to-back homers from Seiya Suzuki and Carson Kelly. San Diego's anemic offense recorded just one hit in the final five innings of the game, allowing the Cubs to coast to a victory despite having to face the Padres’ stellar bullpen with a slim lead.

Game 2 went the Padres’ way, with San Diego jumping out to an early lead in the first frame and maintaining it through the end of the game. The Padres' flame-throwing relievers, Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon, and Robert Suarez put on an absolute show, and all together, San Diego's pitching staff blanked the Cubs' offense.

The Padres’ victory set up an elimination game, which pitted Jameson Taillon of the Cubs against San Diego's Yu Darvish. Darvish, the former Cub, covered just three outs for San Diego and allowed four-straight Cubs to reach base in the second frame before recording an out. Padres manager Mike Schmidt yanked Darvish out of the game, turning the ball over to his talented bullpen.

However, the damage was already done. The two runs that the Cubs scratched across in the second inning were enough to outlast the Padres’ offense, which chose not to show up in the postseason. Despite a controversial strike-three call to Xander Bogaerts in the top of the ninth and a threat that ultimately came up just short, the Chicago Cubs are heading to the NLDS, where they will square off with their division rival, the Milwaukee Brewers.

Brewers and Cubs to begin first-ever postseason series on Saturday, October 4

It's bound to be a heck of a series, pitting former Brewers manager Craig Counsell against his former college coach and later bench coach, Pat Murphy. The storylines are endless. From the Cubs and Brewers fighting for the NL Central crown for most of the season this year, before Milwaukee pulled away with a 14-game winning streak in August, to the fact that both Aaron Civale and Colin Rea are expected to be on Chicago's NLDS roster, to just 90 miles separating the two stadiums, you won't be hard-pressed to find an added motivation to cheer on the Brew Crew when play begins on Saturday.

Speaking of Game 1 on Saturday, the two teams still don't know when they will square off. That much will be decided by the outcome of the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox elimination game this evening. If the Red Sox win, it will be a late-night start to the NLDS with Game 1 taking place at 8:08 p.m. CT on Saturday night. Should the Yankees find themselves victorious in tonight's rubber match, the Brewers and Cubs will face off in a must-watch matinee at 1:08 p.m. CT on Saturday afternoon.

There's plenty still to be decided before Saturday in addition to the Game 1 start time, including who will be on the Brewers' NLDS roster and who Counsell will elect to throw in the first game. Boyd, who pitched in Game 1 of the NLWCS, as previously mentioned, threw just 58 pitches on Tuesday and was seen warming up in the Cubs' bullpen during the ninth inning of Game 3. While he would be pitching on just three days’ rest, don't put it past Counsell to throw his veteran southpaw once again in Game 1 of the NLDS. Regardless of who's throwing, you can be sure it will be a contentious matchup between two heated division rivals.

This is what October baseball is all about.