After 162 games the NL Central came down to one game between the Cubs and Brewers.

One of the biggest surprises this baseball season is the National League playoff picture. The traditional powerhouses in the NL either underperformed all season or got overtaken by new blood.  The Washington Nationals are a team that everyone considered to be locks for the playoffs that fell off the wagon early in the season.  The Braves ended up winning the East by eight games. The Dodgers have been caught by two teams this year, the Rockies and the D-Backs. However, the Dodgers still have a chance to win their division with their own Game 163. Now we get to the Cubs and Brewers. If you thought the Nationals are guaranteed to win their division, thinking the Cubs wouldn’t would be crazy… right? 

Enter the loveable Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers made a slew of off-season moves to add a ton of outfielders. Did someone tell them there are only three on a baseball team? Anyway, their diabolical plan to steal all the MVP caliber players worked. Of course, the Cubs made their own improvements to their team. Adding Yu Darvish and Daniel Murphy from the Nationals. In addition to all of these moves, the teams faced each other 19 times. During the regular season, the Cubs won the season series 11-8. This gave the Cubs home field advantage in Game 163.

Looking at the individual games, however, the Brew Crew has the upper hand in games played toward the end of the season. Game 163 ended up being a lot like the season series. The Cubs kept the game close until the Brewers rallied to a 3-1 victory at Wrigley Field. One of the most competitive divisions in the whole league.

One small addition deals with Christian Yelich. Coming into the game on Monday, Yelich is one RBI and one home run away from the TRIPLE CROWN AWARD! It is mind-blowing that no one seems to want to talk about this fact. Yelich ended the game 3-4 with one RBI so he didn’t quite make it. Still, though, the guy deserves the MVP for sure.