Brewers clinching NL Central should remind Pirates of low division bar

The Milwaukee Brewers last week became the first MLB team to punch their ticket to the 2024 postseason, clinching the National League Central Division title with a walk-off win over the Philadelphia Phillies.

It's Milwaukee's third division title in the last four years, but this year was different. The Brewers won the NL Central without manager Craig Counsell, who elected "managerial free agency" after last season and accepted the same role with the Chicago Cubs. They won without former staff ace Corbin Burnes, who was traded to the Baltimore Orioles, or current ace Brandon Woodruff, who has missed the entire season after undergoing shoulder surgery.

They Brewers also won the division despite back injuries sidelining reigning NL Reliever of the Year Devin Williams for the first four months of the season and NL batting leader Christian Yelich for the final two. They won with a defense-heavy roster, a less-than-formidable batting lineup and a motley crew of arms who pitched their way to the National League's second-best ERA (3.70).

Congratulations are certainly in order for the Brewers, who defied the odds to clinch the division title. However, not to detract from their worthy accomplishment, but their NL Central rivals didn't exactly put up much of a fight.

Due to the aforementioned obstacles facing Milwaukee this season, the race to the division crown was arguably as wide open as it had been in years; and yet, the Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates simply rolled over and let the Brewers run away with it.

Brewers clinching NL Central should remind Pirates of low division bar

Take the Pirates, for example. At the trade deadline, they were in second place in the NL Central behind Milwaukee with a 55-52 record and two games back of a playoff spot. Since the deadline, however, Pittsburgh has gone 18-31 to plummet into last place in the division. The Pirates clinched another losing season and eliminated themselves from playoff contention before the Brewers had even secured the NL Central title.

Pittsburgh winning the NL Central may have been a lofty goal, but it didn't need to be. Even in a season in which their division was more winnable than it had been in years, the Pirates didn't even put up a fight. But, then again, when a team's ownership and front office don't prioritize winning games, much less division titles, what else do you expect?

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