Complete history of the Milwaukee Brewers' postseason appearances

The Milwaukee Brewers are about to embark on the 12th postseason run in the 58-year history of their franchise. They are still searching for their first World Series championship as a franchise and are hoping to return to the Fall Classic for the first time since the 1982 season.

However, despite not yet reaching their ultimate goal, the Brewers, since making their playoff debut in 1981, have experienced their share of memorable runs, dramatic playoff series, and, unfortunately, heartbreaking exits. Let's take a closer look at each of the Brewers' postseason appearances to this point ahead of the 2026 squad's much-anticipated playoff run.

Complete history of the Milwaukee Brewers' postseason appearances

1981 -- lost in ALDS to New York Yankees (3-2)

It took 12 seasons for the Brewers to make their first postseason appearance, finally breaking through in 1981, when they were still a part of the American League. Milwaukee finished that strike-shortened season with a 62-47 record, earning a spot in the playoffs despite narrowly missing out in each of the previous three seasons, when they won 86, 95, and 93 games, respectively.

In the playoffs, the Brewers drew the 59-48 New York Yankees. After dropping the first two contests at County Stadium, Milwaukee battled back by winning the next two games in the Bronx, highlighted by a clutch go-ahead, two-run home run from Ted Simmons in Game 3 and a gutsy performance from Pete Vuckovich, who pitched through the flu in Game 4. The comeback forced a decisive Game 5, that, due to the old 2-3 format, gave New York home-field advantage --the Yankees ultimately prevailed and advanced.

1982 -- lost in WS to St. Louis Cardinals (4-3)

A year later, the Brewers brought back much of the same core in hopes of making a deeper postseason run. With Rollie Fingers, Ted Simmons, and Pete Vuckovich already in place from trade prior to the 1981 season, along with established stars such as Robin Yount, Cecil Cooper, Jim Gantner, Paul Molitor, Ben Oglivie, Gorman Thomas, and Don Money, Milwaukee’s biggest offseason addition was reliever Pete Ladd. Ladd ultimately took over as the team’s closer in the postseason after Fingers suffered an injury in early September that kept him sidelined for the playoffs.

After just barely sneaking into the postseason by winning one of four games in Baltimore, Milwaukee started its 1982 run much like the year before: down 0-2. This time, however, the Brewers dropped the first two games on the road in Anaheim before storming back at home to defeat the Angels by winning three straight and becoming the first team at the time to overcome an 0-2 deficit and advance in a best-of-five series. Cecil Cooper’s go-ahead two-RBI hit in Game 5 proved to be one of the defining moments of the comeback.

Against the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series, "Harvey's Wallbangers," a nickname given to the team after Harvey Keene took over as manager mid-season and shortly thereafter the home runs started flowing, began the series with a dominant 10-0 victory before dropping the next two games. Milwaukee responded in Game 4, rallying from a 4-1 deficit to even the series at two games apiece. The Brewers ultimately pushed the series to a decisive Game 7, where they held a 3-1 lead late but watched the Cardinals score five unanswered runs to complete the comeback and bring Milwaukee’s magical postseason run to an end.

2008 -- lost in NLDS to Philadelphia Phillies (3-1)

Twenty-six years later, history seemed to be repeating itself. With just 12 games remaining in the regular season, Brewers manager Ned Yost was fired, leaving Dale Sveum to take over as interim manager for the final stretch. Sveum continued to lean heavily on midseason acquisition CC Sabathia, who helped Milwaukee secure a playoff berth on the final day of the season with a complete-game performance. Ryan Braun provided the offensive spark, delivering a clutch two-run home run to help send the Brewers back to the postseason for the first time since 1982.

Unfortunately, the Brewers, who notably were without Ben Sheets after he suffered an elbow injury in early September, ran out of steam in the postseason. The team struggled to generate much offense, as Cole Hamels of the Phillies threw eight scoreless innings in Game 1. Sabathia, pitching on short rest, was then outdueled by Brett Myers in Game 2. Although Milwaukee stayed alive with a Game 3 victory at home, the Brewers ultimately dropped Game 4, bringing their postseason run to an end.

2011 -- lost in NLCS to St. Louis Cardinals (4-2)

Led by NL MVP Ryan Braun, the 2011 Brewers finally ended a 29-year drought by winning the organization’s first postseason series since 1982. Milwaukee defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks in five games in the NLDS, punctuated by one of the most memorable moments in franchise history: Nyjer Morgan’s walk-off single in Game 5 that scored Carlos Gómez from second base and sent the Brewers to the NLCS.

In the NLCS, the Brewers’ pitching staff continued to be a major concern. Milwaukee surrendered six runs in its Game 1 victory, followed by 12 runs in a Game 2 loss. The struggles continued late in the series, as the Cardinals scored seven runs in Game 5 and another 12 in Game 6. St. Louis’ David Freese was virtually unstoppable at the plate throughout the series, and Milwaukee’s offense ultimately couldn’t keep pace. With that, the Brewers’ hopes of reaching the World Series came to a crushing end.

2018 -- lost in NLCS to Los Angeles Dodgers (4-3)

With the reins of the team being passed from Braun to 2018 NL MVP Christian Yelich, the 2018 Brewers assembled one of the strongest rosters in franchise history. Lorenzo Cain, Jesús Aguilar, Travis Shaw, Mike Moustakas, Jhoulys Chacín, Jeremy Jeffress, Corey Knebel, and Josh Hader all played prominent roles, while a trio of young pitchers in Brandon Woodruff, Corbin Burnes, and Freddy Peralta emerged as key pieces as well.

That year, the Brewers had to win an extra game in order to claim the division, defeating the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in Game 163. That victory capped off a remarkable stretch of “Craigtember,” as Milwaukee won its final seven games of the regular season and finished 19-7 during the month. The Brewers carried that momentum into October, extending their winning streak to 12 games at one point as they swept the Colorado Rockies in the NLDS and then opened the NLCS with a Game 1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers, which featured Woodruff's famous home run off Clayton Kershaw.

The tides of the series began to turn in Game 4. With Milwaukee holding a 2-1 series lead, the Brewers suffered a heartbreaking 13-inning loss before falling again in Game 5. Facing elimination, Milwaukee managed to stave off the Dodgers in Game 6 and force a decisive Game 7, where an improbable catch by Chris Taylor in the fifth inning shifted the momentum and Los Angeles went on to win.

2019 -- lost in NLWC to Washington Nationals (1-0)

A year after making a deep postseason run, the Brewers’ front office opened its wallet, bringing back Moustakas on a one-year deal while also adding former Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal. But on September 10, Milwaukee suffered a major blow when Yelich, the MVP frontrunner at the time, fractured his kneecap, ending his season. Despite losing their MVP, the Brewers rallied around the injury and once again caught fire in September, going 20-7 to secure a postseason berth as a Wild Card team.

At the time, the Wild Card round was still a winner-take-all, one-game matchup, and Milwaukee turned to Brandon Woodruff, who was not at full strength while working his way back from an oblique injury. Still, Woodruff delivered four innings of one-run ball, while home runs from Yasmani Grandal and Eric Thames helped give the Brewers a 3-2 lead entering the eighth inning. Washington then mounted a rally against Josh Hader, with a Juan Soto single proving to be a pivotal blow. The situation was made even more painful when rookie outfielder Trent Grisham misplayed the ball, allowing the Nationals to take the lead. Milwaukee fell 4-3, despite leading for most of the game.

2020 -- lost in NLWCS to Los Angeles Dodgers (2-0)

In a unique 60-game season that was shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Brewers managed to reach the postseason despite finishing with a 29-31 record. With MLB introducing a new best-of-three Wild Card Series format, Milwaukee entered October shorthanded, most notably without breakout arms Corbin Burnes and Devin Williams. The Brewers’ offensive struggles from the regular season carried into the postseason; they were unable to keep pace with the Dodgers and were unsurprisingly eliminated in the opening round.

2021 -- lost in NLDS to Atlanta Braves (3-1)

2021 marked the Brewers’ first division title since 2018 and their second since 2011. That season, Milwaukee arguably featured the strongest pitching staff in franchise history, led by eventual Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes. Brandon Woodruff, Freddy Peralta, Josh Hader, and Devin Williams had all emerged as dominant forces as well, giving the Brewers an imposing collection of arms. Unfortunately, Williams was unavailable for the postseason after suffering a self-inflicted hand injury.

Their only postseason opponent in 2021 was the Atlanta Braves, who had caught fire in August and eventually went on to win the World Series. Milwaukee took Game 1 behind a dominant performance from Burnes, but the offense was shut out in Games 2 and 3. In Game 4, the Brewers held the Braves in check until Freddie Freeman’s go-ahead home run off Josh Hader in the eighth inning proved to be the decisive blow, ending Milwaukee’s season.

2023 -- lost in NLWCS to Arizona Diamondbacks (2-0)

Much like 2021, the Brewers appeared to catch the wrong team at the wrong time in 2023, as the Arizona Diamondbacks caught fire and rode that momentum all the way to the World Series. Milwaukee’s postseason run was brief, with the Brewers dropping both games of the Wild Card Series by scores of 6-3 and 5-2.

In that series, the Diamondbacks did most of their damage against Milwaukee’s top arms. Arizona scored all six of their runs in Game 1 off Corbin Burnes and Devin Williams. In Game 2, the Diamondbacks scored four runs off Freddy Peralta, despite the right-hander carrying a no-hitter through the first four innings before Arizona eventually broke through.

2024 -- lost in NLWCS to New York Mets (2-1)

2024 marked Pat Murphy’s first full season as the Brewers’ manager, and his group of “Average Joes” responded by winning 93 games and capturing the division title. Milwaukee finished just two games behind the Philadelphia Phillies for the No. 2 seed in the National League, setting up a Wild Card Series matchup against the New York Mets.

Game 1 didn’t go Milwaukee’s way, as the Brewers fell 8-4, but they bounced back in Game 2 with a dramatic 5-3 victory. Jackson Chourio tied the game with a solo home run in the eighth inning before Garrett Mitchell followed with a go-ahead, two-run homer in the same frame. In the decisive Game 3, rookie Tobias Myers delivered five scoreless innings while Jake Bauers and Sal Frelick each homered. However, the Mets answered in heartbreaking fashion in the ninth, when Pete Alonso launched a go-ahead three-run homer off Williams, crushing Milwaukee’s season and sending New York to the next round.

2025 -- lost in NLCS to Los Angeles Dodgers (4-0)

A year ago, the Brewers secured a first-round bye as the No. 1 seed in the National League. Their reward was a matchup with the Chicago Cubs in the NLDS, setting up a highly anticipated showdown between former Brewers manager Craig Counsell and current manager Pat Murphy. The two teams split the first four games, with each winning twice at home, setting the stage for a decisive Game 5. Milwaukee ultimately prevailed 3-1, powered by solo home runs from William Contreras, Andrew Vaughn, and Brice Turang, while the Brewers also strategically deployed Jacob Misiorowski in the middle innings.

In the Championship Series, the Brewers’ offense completely stalled, scoring just one run across all four games as Los Angeles swept the series. Game 4 was particularly painful, as two-way star Shohei Ohtani struck out 10 Milwaukee hitters while also launching three home runs, putting the finishing touches on the Dodgers’ sweep.

2026 -- TBD

Time will tell how the Brewers’ 2026 season is ultimately remembered, but the team enters October coming off a franchise-record 103-win season and a historic campaign from Misiorowski. Expectations are once again high in Milwaukee as the Brewers look to turn another remarkable regular season into the franchise’s first World Series championship.

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