Sights, sounds from Brewers’ 25th anniversary of American Family Field
The Milwaukee Brewers held a 25th anniversary celebration of American Family Field on July 25, 2025.
The arrival of August means we’ve officially reached the home stretch of the baseball season and, lookie lookie, the Milwaukee Brewers are right there in the thick of the playoff hunt, per usual.
Just how close is Milwaukee to landing a spot in the playoffs? Here’s what to know (updated through games of July 30):
What’s the Milwaukee Brewers‘ magic number to secure a playoff spot?
It’s 47 to guarantee a better record than the Cincinnati Reds, the first team on the outside of the NL playoff picture looking in.
To win the division, it’s 54 to guarantee a better record than the closest threat, the Cubs. Chicago is just two games back.
How is the ‘magic number’ calculated and what does it mean?
The magic number is the total number of outcomes that have to go right for a team to secure a playoff spot. That means any combination of Brewers wins or losses by the first team outside the playoff picture — the Reds, for now, though that team is subject to change — adding up to the magic number will do the trick.
It’s a pretty easy calculation. Take the overall number of games in a season (162 in this case), add one (to 163), subtract the wins of the first place team (the Brewers have 64) and the losses of the nearest chasing competitor (the Reds, in this case, have 52).
That gives you a number of 47. Adding the “1” is necessary because the goal is to win outright and not simply finish with a tied record, although a team could also secure a tiebreaker and make the need for that extra “1” disappear.
How close are the Milwaukee Brewers to a first-round bye in the playoffs?
The Brewers need to have a top-two record among National League division winners to secure a bye. Because they have the best record in the league, they would have a first-round bye if the season ended today and the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.
The third NL division winner and three wild-card teams would compete in the wild-card round of the playoffs, while the Brewers would get a free pass to the division series.
The Cubs (63-45), one game back of Milwaukee, would be relegated to no better than the top wild-card spot (No. 4 seed) because they aren’t in first place in their division. That No. 2 spot would go to either the West-leading Dodgers (63-46) or East-leading Mets (62-47), even with lesser records.
If the season ended today, would the Milwaukee Brewers have a playoff spot, and who would they play?
Yes, the Brewers would be in the playoffs, own the No. 1 seed, and await the winner of the No. 4 vs. No. 5 seeds (Cubs vs. Philadelphia Phillies).
Would the Milwaukee Brewers’ record right now be good enough for a wild-card spot if they weren’t winning the Central?
Heavens, yes. The Brewers are 7½ games ahead of the Reds for the last playoff spot.
Isn’t it too early to talk about the Milwaukee Brewers’ magic number?
Friend, we started tracking this madness a week earlier in 2024 than we did in 2025. We love magic numbers.
How are the Milwaukee Brewers’ closest contenders doing?Chicago CubsRecord: 63-46Brewers vs. the Cubs: 4-4Trends: Rookie third baseman Matt Shaw has been on a tear the past two weeks, and MVP candidate Pete Crow-Armstrong isn’t exactly slowing down. The Cubs bullpen is starting to show some cracks.Last 10: 4-6July: 14-11Up next: Three games vs. Baltimore, three vs. Cincinnati, three at St. Louis
The Cubs are jockeying with the Brewers for control of the National League Central, and the tiebreaker will come down to a rare five-game series in Chicago in August.
New York MetsRecord: 62-47Brewers vs. the Mets: 1-2Trends: The Mets got swept by the Padres, a potential competitor for a wild-card spot, immediately following a seven-game winning streak. Fresh off the injured list, Sean Manaea may be returning to form and proved solid again July 29. NewYork scored just one run over the past two games.Last 10: 7-3July: 14-10Up next: Three games vs. San Francisco, three vs. Cleveland, three at Milwaukee
The National League East leader isn’t a direct threat to Milwaukee’s playoff hopes but will be a contender for a first-round playoff bye.
Los Angeles DodgersRecord: 63-46Brewers vs. the Dodgers: 6-0Trends: After getting swept by Milwaukee, the Dodgers have won two of three subsequent series. Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts are still laboring.Last 10: 5-5July: 10-14Up next: Three games at Tampa Bay, three vs. St. Louis, three vs. Toronto.
The Dodgers lead the NL West and aren’t a direct threat to Milwaukee’s playoff plight but will be a contender for a first-round playoff bye.
Philadelphia PhilliesRecord: 61-47Brewers vs. the Phillies: 3-0Trends: The Phillies have multiple Cy Young candidates in Cristopher Sánchez and Zack Wheeler pitching well, although Sánchez lost to the Chicago White Sox on July 28 (and the Phillies lost the series). Kyle Schwarber has been white-hot for a month, and Bryce Harper isn’t far behind.Last 10: 5-5July: 11-12Up next: Three games vs. Detroit, three vs. Baltimore, three at Texas. The Phillies are in a stretch of 21 consecutive games against American League teams.
The Phillies are second in the wild-card standings behind the Cubs, though they’re closing in on the Mets in the East standings.
Record: 60-49Brewers vs. the Padres: 1-2Trends: San Diego has won five straight immediately after dropping four straight. Manny Machado has seven homers in the last month and a 1.111 OPS over the past two weeks. Jeremiah Estrada and Adrian Morejon have been nails in the bullpen.Last 10: 6-4July: 15-10Up next: Three games vs. St. Louis, three at Arizona, three vs. Boston
The Padres are the third wild-card team for now, three games ahead of the Reds and 3½ behind the top wild-card team, Chicago.
Cincinnati RedsRecord: 57-52Brewers vs. the Reds: 5-2Trends: Reds had won four straight before losing to the Dodgers on back-to-back nights and are getting huge recent performances from starter Nick Lodolo (even in a loss July 29) with solid hitting across the board.Last 10: 5-5July: 13-11Up next: Three games vs. Atlanta, three at Chicago Cubs, four at Pittsburgh
The Reds are the next team up if one of the wild-card teams falters — and, for the moment, the team the Brewers can target to finish ahead of to clinch a playoff spot. But Cincinnati is now 3 games back, with the Cardinals another 2½ behind.
(This story was updated to add new information.)