Milwaukee Brewers win NL Central

This seemed improbable when the Brewers lost the NL Central lead during a nightmare 5-game series in Pittsburgh that saw them slip to 2.5 games behind the Cubs at the All-Star break.

It felt almost impossible when the Brewers trailed for the entire second half, especially when they fell to 6 games back after losing in Cincinnati on August 28th.

Even when the Brewers took two series from the Cubs in September, staying within striking distance, this seemed unlikely.

It took an extra game, but the Milwaukee Brewers are your 2018 National League Central Division champions after defeating the Chicago Cubs 3-1 at Wrigley Field.

Former Brewer Dan Plesac likely broke a copyright law or two, but here’s his video of Bob Uecker’s call for the final out:

It’s entirely possible — and maybe even likely, given the Cubs’ record at home this season — that these two teams meet again in a few days. But for now, the Brewers will enjoy two days off before the NLDS begins on Thursday at Miller Park.

Jhoulys Chacin wasn’t named as today’s starting pitcher until just a few hours before game time, but turned in a very strong 5.2 innings, with his only hit allowed being a solo home run by Anthony Rizzo.

Christian Yelich put the cherry on top of his MVP campaign by going 3-for-4 with an RBI. Lorenzo Cain and Ryan Braun came through with clutch RBI hits in the 8th inning to give the Brewers the late lead, and Orlando Arcia consistently turned the lineup over by going 4-for-4. Josh Hader allowed a 2-out single to Javier Baez but shut the door against Rizzo to get the celebration started.

Two celebrations in a week, with both happening at the stadiums of their biggest rivals.

We’ll have your full game recap in a little while. But for now, enjoy another Miller Lite shower.

Scenes from the celebration: