Milwaukee Brewers capture NL Central title for the fourth straight season - USA Today

For the fourth straight season, the Milwaukee Brewers are NL Central champions.

They didn't even have to be on the field for the last out of the clincher. Milwaukee finished off a 5-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park hours before the Chicago Cubs lost to Atlanta and the division was over.

Jacob Misiorowski improved to 15-5 with a 1.89 ERA. Milwaukee got the scoring started when Luis Lara's sacrifice fly brought home Jake Bauers in the second, then added on in the sixth when Lara doubled home William Contreras, who'd doubled the at-bat before. Brandon Lowe's solo homer in the eighth was the only run Pittsburgh got all night.

Chicago handled the rest on its own. The Cubs led 3-0 through four at Wrigley before Ronald Acuna Jr., Ozzie Albies and Drake Baldwin went deep for Atlanta's 6-3 win.

This team's identity hasn't changed all year. Misiorowski is leading baseball in strikeouts, the lineup runs through Jackson Chourio and Contreras, and Milwaukee is on pace to blow past its own single-season record of 97 wins, set just last year. Pat Murphy is chasing something no manager ever has, a third straight NL Manager of the Year award.

Milwaukee was already the first NL team into the playoffs. The division was just a formality. What's left to play for is seeding, namely the No. 1 overall spot in the National League and the bye that goes with it.