Milwaukee Brewers: The all-time bracket
By Bill Felber
Milwaukee Brewers: The all-time bracket
Semi-finals
1982 vs. 2018: This is probably the matchup Milwaukee Brewers fans have been waiting for, pitting the franchise’s only World Series entrant against a recent team that came within one loss of reaching the World Series.
Game 1: This is a victory for the 2018 club, and it comes by the narrow margin of the one playoff win. The 2018 team’s record was 96-67, .589. Playing one game less, the 1982 team posted a 95-67 record for a .586 percentage.
Game 2: The 1982 team went 6-6 during its post-season, a .500 record. The 2018 club went 6-4, earning a victory and grabbing a 2-0 series advantage.
Game 3: The edge in OPS+ goes to 1982 by a margin of 121-102.
Game 4: The 2018 Brewers had the better pitching staff. The 110 staff ERA+ is clearly superior to the 1982 team’s 96 ERA+.
Game 5: The 1982 team produced a 47.4 WAR. The 2018 team managed only a 39.3 WAR.
Game 6: The 2018 team’s .982 fielding percentage hands it a victory over 1982’s .980 percentage, and ends the series.
Result: 2018 in six games.
1992 vs. 1981 Brewers
Game 1: The 1981 team gets a jump on the series by the narrowest of margins. Its 62-47 record works out to a .569 percentage, one point better than the 1992 team’s 92-70 .568.
Game 2: One more walkover, this one working against the 1992 team, which did not play a post-season game.
Game 3: 1981 takes it to the verge of a sweep, winning the OPS+ battle by a margin of 107-100.
Game 4: This series is not a sweep. The 1992 team’s 113 ERA+ is superior to the 1981 team’s very ordinary 89 ERA+.
Game 5: Again, 1981’s weak 22 strike-shortened WAR hurts it. The 1992 team’s WAR was 48.1.
Game 6: The 1992 club produced a .986 fielding average. The 1981 team’s .982 average isn’t good enough to prevent 1992 from taking this series to a seventh game.
Game 7: The 1992 team featured two Hall of Famers, Yount, and Molitor. Both also played for the 1981 club, as did Ted Simmons and Rollie Fingers.
Result: 1981 in seven games