The Brewers win 100 games for the first time after a 5-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday, marking Milwaukee’s first trip to the triple-digit win column. Coming into 2026, the club had never reached even 98 or 99 wins, milestones they hit on Sunday and Wednesday on the way to setting, then resetting, the franchise record.
The long-sought benchmark arrives without many previous near misses. The 2025 Brewers set the former high-water mark at 97 wins. Before that, the standard was 96, achieved in 2011 and matched in 2018. Milwaukee’s 1982 and 2021 teams each posted 95 wins. Beyond those, the organization counts only six other seasons with at least 90 victories. The franchise traces its history to 1969 with the Seattle Pilots before relocating to Milwaukee in 1970.
At the end of April the Brewers were 16-14. Since then they have gone 84-45, a .651 clip. Milwaukee owns the only run differential in the majors north of plus-200 and has the most wins this year against opponents with winning records, underscoring that the 2026 Brewers stack up with the best in club history and across MLB.
Milwaukee’s rise has been driven by dominant pitching at the front, led by Jacob Misiorowski. The right-hander tops the majors in ERA at 1.86, strikeouts with 247, strikeouts per nine at 13.1, hits per nine at 5.0 and adjusted ERA+ at 222. The lineup has surged as well. Second baseman Brice Turang leads the team at 7.2 wins above replacement. First baseman Jake Bauers paces the National League with a .393 on-base percentage. In the outfield, Jackson Chourio and Garrett Mitchell have paired run production with strong defense. Chourio recently became the first player to record three 20-homer, 20-steal seasons before turning 23.
Before Thursday, the Brewers were one of six MLB franchises that had never won 100 games in a season. With Milwaukee off the list, five teams remain. Their best seasons to date are below.
Brewers win 100 games: other franchises still chasing milestone
2012 Washington Nationals, 98-64
Washington’s lone championship belongs to the 2019 club, but the 2012 Nationals own the franchise’s regular-season wins record. That team featured a 19-year-old rookie Bryce Harper alongside longtime fixtures Ryan Zimmerman and Ian Desmond, plus 23-year-old Stephen Strasburg. The season ended in the NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals. Other close calls include 97 wins in 2017 and 96 in 2014. The 2016 Nationals and the 1979 Expos each won 95, and there have been four other 90-plus win campaigns.
2011 Texas Rangers, 96-66
Texas came within reach of both a franchise wins record and a first title in 2011, before the dramatic Game 6 swing in the World Series against St. Louis. The Rangers eventually secured their first championship in 2023, a season that included 90 regular-season wins, so 2011 still stands as their high for victories. The club has twice won 95 games, in 1999 and 2016, and has six other seasons between 90 and 94 wins, but has not yet hit 100.
1998 San Diego Padres, 98-64
San Diego’s 1998 club, the second in franchise history to reach the World Series, ran into a powerhouse New York Yankees team that won 114 games. The Padres’ best previous shot, the 1984 pennant winner with 92 wins, ran into the 104-win Detroit Tigers. The 1998 total remains San Diego’s only season above 93 victories. The franchise has posted 90-plus wins in 1996, 2010, 2024 and 2025, with the 2026 club no longer able to match the 1998 mark.
1997 Miami Marlins, 92-70
The first championship in Marlins history came with just 92 regular-season wins in the franchise’s fifth year, when the then-Florida Marlins edged Cleveland in seven games. That roster featured Charles Johnson, Moisés Alou and Gary Sheffield in the lineup, with a rotation led by Kevin Brown, Alex Fernandez and 22-year-old Livan Hernandez, who starred in October. The only other Miami team to surpass 90 victories, in 2003, also won the World Series with 91 regular-season wins.
1985 Toronto Blue Jays, 99-62
Toronto’s best regular-season record came in 1985, the franchise’s ninth year, falling one win shy of 100 and capturing the American League East before losing the ALCS to Kansas City in seven. The Blue Jays won 96 games in 1987 but finished second to the 98-win Tigers, then hit 96 again in 1992 on the way to the club’s first title. Toronto repeated as champion in 1993 with 93 wins. More recently, the 2025 Blue Jays won 94 and reached the World Series, losing to the Dodgers in seven. Toronto has logged four other seasons between 91 and 93 wins.
Toronto repeated as champion in 1993 with 93 wins. More recently, the 2025 Blue Jays won 94 and reached the World Series, losing to the Dodgers in seven. Toronto has logged four other seasons between 91 and 93 wins.
Toronto repeated as champion in 1993 with 93 wins. More recently, the 2025 Blue Jays won 94 and reached the World Series, losing to the Dodgers in seven. Toronto has logged four other seasons between 91 and 93 wins.