The 89-55 Milwaukee Brewers keep gaining fans across the country with their excellent play and top-notch pitching staff.
They have a realistic shot at getting to 100 wins, which would be the cherry on top of a fantastic, somewhat surprising season.
Milwaukee has a few offensive stars, such as Christian Yelich (even if he had a down year), Willy Adames, Kolten Wong, Lorenzo Cain, and others.
Their strength as a team, however, is its extraordinary pitching unit, top to bottom one of the very best in MLB.
They say offense wins games, but pitching wins championships.
A Top-Three Unit
Under that premise, the Brewers hope their arms can carry them to the World Series, and they are certainly good enough to do just that.
The Brewers have conceded the second-fewest runs per game in MLB, with 3.7.
They are also second in hits allowed, with 7.1, third in ERA (3.38), and WHIP (1.16).
They have the second-highest K/9 (strikeouts per nine innings), at 10.13, and have allowed the third-fewest home runs, with 143.
Milwaukee’s hurlers are also excellent at limiting hits from opposing lineups, with a .216 batting average against, which is the second-best mark in the league.
As you can see, the Brewers are in the top-three in nearly all pitching indicators.
Not top-ten or top-five: top-three.
At this point, the National League Cy Young award will probably go to either Max Scherzer or Zack Wheeler, and deservedly so.
However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t Cy Young candidates on the Brewers roster.
In fact, there may be three of them.
I’m showing a little bias here, but top to bottom, this Brewers pitching staff could arguably be remembered as one of the greats all time. 3 guys in the Cy Young race, two other solid starters, some incredible middle inning guys, and all star set up man and closer. No holes.
— Matt Dary (@MattDary34) September 12, 2021
Corbin Burnes has had an insane season, with a 2.25 ERA in 152 innings.
The Names Behind The Most Dominant Pitching Staff In MLB
He has been outstanding from just about every angle: he has a 10-4 record, a 0.91 WHIP, and 210 strikeouts.
Yes, you read that right: 210 strikeouts in 151 frames.
Then we have Brandon Woodruff and his 2.48 ERA in 163.1 innings.
Woodruff has a fantastic 41/191 BB/K ratio and makes for a wonderful, deserving candidate.
Right-hander Freddy Peralta has been impressive, too, with a 2.69 ERA in 127 frames and a 53/172 BB/K ratio.
But that’s not all: Adrian Houser has been a steady, reliable fourth starter (3.25 ERA) and Eric Lauer has fully broken out, with a 3.10 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP and almost a punchout per inning.
Brett Anderson, Brent Suter, Brad Boxberger, Devin Williams, and rookie Aaron Ashby have been very impressive too while pitching important innings.
Brewers’ pitchers outside of the big three (Woodruff, Burnes, and Peralta) are also very versatile: they can adapt to a variety of roles.
And if that wasn’t enough, Milwaukee has the luxury of sending Josh Hader, perhaps the majors’ most dominant reliever, to the mound every time they need to hold on to a tight advantage in the late innings.
Hader has a minuscule 1.42 ERA and an even better 0.81 WHIP, with 86 strikeouts in 50.2 frames.
He recently helped Burnes get a no-hitter.
Combined dominance: 0 hits, 16 strikeouts. Congratulations, Corbin Burnes and Josh Hader! @Brewers second no-hitter in franchise history. #ThisIsMyCrew pic.twitter.com/LrmUJDhhHz
— Sophia Minnaert (@SophiaMinnaert) September 12, 2021
You could say with confidence that the Brewers are the Blue Jays of pitching: Toronto has the most explosive offense in the majors, but Milwaukee has the deepest and most effective pitching, a unit capable of hanging with every top lineup.
NEXT: Brewers Now Focused On Chasing NL’s Best Record