Tag / Brewers

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2026 Predictions Revisited

Way back in March, when the 2026 season was just about to get underway, I made my annual predictions as to who would win what. With the Division Series round kicking off this afternoon, it is time to revisit those predictions and see what, if anything, I got right.

American League

East: Blue Jays

Well, despite adding Dylan Cease to a team that nearly won the World Series last year, the Blue Jays could not put things together and the Rays re-took the top spot in the division.

Central: Tigers

The White Sox had a surprising, long run atop the Central but, in the end, the Guardians won out.

West: Mariners

The Astros ended up “winning” this division, becoming the worst playoff team by record in a full season in the history of the sport.

Wild Cards: Yankees, Red Sox, Astros

Two out of three ain’t bad, with the surprising White Sox taking the final spot.

AL Champion: Tigers

Well, that’s obviously not going to happen.  My guess is whoever wins the ALDS series between the Rays and the Yankees will take the pennant.

Cy Young: Tarik Skubal

Skubal got hurt and then was traded to the Dodgers, so it seems unlikely he will win his third in a row.  At this point, I’m going to guess Yankees hurler Cam Schlitter will win.

MVP: Julio Rodriguez

Despite the Astros struggles, it looks like Yordan Alvarez is the front runner to take home this award.

National League

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All Time Playoff Team Records

We’ve made it through 162 games and, for the first time since 2020, both the White Sox and the Cubs are in the post-season.  After faltering down the stretch, however, both teams open up on the road in the Wild Card series, with the White Sox headed to Houston to face the Astros, their foe in the 2021 ALDS, while the Cubs go west to San Diego in a rematch of last year’s series against the Padres.

It’s time to take an updated look at the team records for the now 35 playoff contests I have attended. These contests come from the 2018 Wild Card game, the ALDS in 2000, 2005, 2008, and 2021, the NLDS in 2003, 2007, 2008, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2025, the NLCS in 2003, 2015, 2016, and 2017, the ALCS in 2005, and, of course, the 2005 and 2016 World Series.

Post-Season Team Records

Team Name Won Loss Winning Pctg
Florida Marlins 3 0 1.000
Seattle Mariners 2 0 1.000
New York Mets 2 0 1.000
Colorado Rockies 1 0 1.000
Arizona Diamondbacks 1 0 1.000
Chicago White Sox 6 5 0.545
Los Angeles Dodgers 3 3 0.500
Atlanta Braves 1 1 0.500
Cleveland Indians 1 1 0.500
Los Angeles Angels 1 1 0.500
Washington Nationals 1 1 0.500
Tampa Bay Rays 1 1 0.500
Chicago Cubs 11 13 0.458
Houston Astros 1 2 0.333
Milwaukee Brewers 0 2 0.000
San Francisco Giants 0 2 0.000
St. Louis Cardinals 0 1 0.000
Boston Red Sox 0 2 0.000
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Playoffs Part The First

With about seven weeks remaining in the 2026 season, it appears that both Chicago teams may be heading to the postseason for the first time since 2008.  The Cubs, the team with a more secure hold on making the playoffs despite currently sitting in second place, got the ticketing process started.

Sitting five and a half games behind the Brewers for the NL Central crown but holding a six-game lead for the first Wild Card slot, the Cubs sent out post-season invoices to their season ticket holders last week for the second straight year.  Thanks to a randomly selected combination assignment, I would end up with tickets to two games in each potential round.  I would maintain my normal seats through the NLCS but would end up relocated to the right field side should the team advance to the World Series.

Barring a complete collapse over the next seven weeks, the Cubs seem to be a lock to make the postseason.  Getting out of that Wild Card round, where they would face the Phillies if the season ended today, might be more difficult.

On the other side of town, the White Sox currently sit atop the AL Central, holding a three and a half game lead over the Tigers, but have yet to release any postseason ticketing plans.

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Looking Ahead To 2027

Returning to their traditional day after the All-Star Game release, Major League Baseball released their tentative 2027 earlier this week, one which hopefully will not be impacted by a prolonged work stoppage.  For the fifth year in a row, MLB is keeping with a balanced schedule, playing 52 games against division opponents, 64 games against non-division opponents in the same league, and 46 interleague games, with series against every team in the opposite league.  With both Chicago teams heading into the second half in line for a postseason appearance for the first time since 2008 and the All-Star Game coming to Wrigley Field in July, the 2027 season looks like it could be an interesting one on both sides of town.  So, for one day, at least, let’s turn our attention to next summer for both teams.

The White Sox open their season on the road in the Midwest on March 25, scheduled to be the earliest North American start in league history, facing the Tigers followed by a series against the Royals.  They open up their home schedule against the Brewers on April 1.

Aside from the Brewers, the interleague schedule sees the White Sox staying home to face the Marlins, Phillies, Cardinals, Diamondbacks, and Padres, while travelling to see the Pirates, Reds, Dodgers, Braves, Mets, Rockies, and Nationals.  The rivalry with their north side foes continues with a three-game weekend series at Wrigley Field coming out of the All-Star break in mid-July followed by three games at Rate Field the first weekend of August.

The White Sox wrap up the 2027 season in September at home, with a final series against the Tigers before ending the year with three against the Padres.

On the north side, the Cubs kick off their season at home against the Guardians and Cardinals before heading out on the road in early April.  Aside from the Guardians, the Cubs will host the Mariners, Orioles, Red Sox, and Royals while travelling to battle the Angels, Twins, A’s, Yankees, Blue Jays, and Tigers.

The Cubs open September with eleven straight against their NL Central rivals, but finish the month, and the season, on the road to face the Phillies and the Mets.

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2026 All Star Break Standings

As we reach the metaphorical, if not quite exact, midpoint of the 2026 baseball season, the Midsummer Classic lands in Philadelphia for the fifth time in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  If you would have told me back in April that not only would the White Sox head into the break with a winning record, but they would be tied for first place in the AL Central and that both Chicago teams are in position for a post-season appearance for the first time since 2008, I would have called you a crazy person.  Yet here we are.

As the stars of the baseball world gather at Citizens Bank Park for tonight’s showdown, it’s time to take a look at the team records for the 24 games, featuring 50% of the teams in the league, that I attended in the first half of the baseball season.

2026 Team Records

Team Name Won Loss Winning Pctg
Washington Nationals 2 0 1.000
Milwaukee Brewers 2 0 1.000
Los Angeles Dodgers 1 0 1.000
Chicago White Sox 10 6 0.625
Chicago Cubs 6 5 0.545
Seattle Mariners 1 1 0.500
Kansas City Royals 1 1 0.500
Sacramento Athletics 1 2 0.333
San Diego Padres 0 1 0.000
New York Mets 0 1 0.000
Minnesota Twins 0 1 0.000
Los Angeles Angels 0 1 0.000
Detroit Tigers 0 1 0.000
Arizona Diamondbacks 0 1 0.000
Toronto Blue Jays 0 3 0.000
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Driving Them In

The White Sox exploded for 22 runs against the Royals last night, tied for the second highest total in franchise history.  It was also the most runs I’ve seen a team score in person.  Which led me to think, what are the highest scoring games I’ve attended?  Here’s the top five.

1) 6/26/2026 – White Sox 22 Royals 1

The White Sox jumped on the Royals with a ten-spot in the third inning and then kept pouring it on the rest of the night, using five home runs to power their high total.

2) 7/3/2012 – White Sox 19 Rangers 2

A nine-run fifth inning knocked out Roy Oswalt and helped propel the White Sox to the lopsided victory.

3) 4/30/2008 – Cubs 19 Brewers 5

Six runs in both the first and eighth innings, powered by two home runs, including a grand slam, from Geovany Soto, put the icing on the Brewers.

4) 8/2/2010 – Brewers 18 Cubs 1

A scoreless tie going into the fourth inning, the Brewers scored every inning for the remainder of the game, including five-spots in both the fourth and fifth innings, to avenge their blowout loss from two years earlier.

5) 8/27/2021 – White Sox 17 Cubs 13

The Cubs ran out to an early lead thanks to a six-run first inning against Dallas Keuchel, but the White Sox roared back with eight in the third to take control, thanks to two three-run homers from Yasmani Grandal.

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The First Time

Previously, we’ve looked at the most recent time I’ve seen each of the 30 major league baseball teams play.  Three weeks into the 2026 season, I thought it would be worth going into the wayback machine and see when the first time was that I saw each team live and in person, to the best of my knowledge.  My records only go back to 1984, so anything before that is as yet unidentified.

Breaking it down by decade, we have twelve teams I saw originally during the 80s, eleven in the 90s, and the remaining seven came in the 2000s.  For franchises that have moved, I have lumped them all together.

Earliest Game

Team Name Year
Texas Rangers 8/14/1984
Chicago White Sox 8/14/1984
Toronto Blue Jays 8/30/1984
Boston Red Sox 4/19/1985
San Diego Padres 7/8/1985
Chicago Cubs 7/8/1985
Baltimore Orioles 7/26/1985
New York Mets 8/4/1985
Kansas City Royals 8/20/1985
Cleveland Indians/Guardians 7/16/1987
Seattle Mariners 9/18/1987
California/Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels 7/28/1988
Detroit Tigers 4/20/1991
Milwaukee Brewers 7/18/1993
Pittsburgh Pirates 8/2/1993
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All Time Team Records

After a long winter, the 2026 baseball season got underway yesterday.  To celebrate, it is time once again to look at the all-time team records for games that I have identified as having attended dating back to 1984.  Last year, I posted my thirteenth highest total, an increase of twelve games from the year before, and managed to see 21 out of the 30 teams, so there should be some nice changes.

The White Sox are coming off their third-straight 100 loss season and are hoping to avoid adding a fourth this year.  On the other side of town, the Cubs made it back into playoff contention last year and are hoping to move beyond the NLDS this year.  The 2026 season may look completely different on each side of town.

All-Time Team Records

Team Name Won Loss Winning Pctg
California Angels 2 0 1.000
Arizona Diamondbacks 17 4 0.810
Florida Marlins 15 8 0.652
Cleveland Guardians 7 4 0.636
Toronto Blue Jays 20 12 0.625
New York Yankees 20 13 0.606
Philadelphia Phillies 13 10 0.565
Boston Red Sox 22 17 0.564
Colorado Rockies 11 9 0.550
Los Angeles Angels 20 17 0.541
Washington Nationals 7 6 0.538
Detroit Tigers 35 30 0.538
Cleveland Indians 31 27 0.534
Chicago Cubs 246 217 0.531
Houston Astros 27 25 0.519
Chicago White Sox 387 378 0.506
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2026 Predictions

With the Yankees and Giants on track to open the 2026 season tonight on Netflix and the rest of the league scheduled to follow suit tomorrow, it is time, for the 16th consecutive year, to look into my crystal ball and make my picks for the division, league, and major award winners for the upcoming season.

American League

East: Blue Jays

Central: Tigers

West: Mariners

Wild Cards: Yankees, Red Sox, Astros

AL Champion: Tigers

Cy Young: Tarik Skubal

MVP: Julio Rodriguez

National League

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Cubs All Time Leaders – Through 2025

To paraphrase from a famous movie, the one constant through all the years has been baseball.  With the start of the 2026 season coming next week, we start to wind down our look at the all-time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams. Today, we take a deeper dive into the Chicago Cubs.

The Cubs, dating back to 1870, were charter members of the National League in 1876.  I’ve seen 544 players wearing a Cub uniform in the 463 of their games that I’ve attended live at nine different stadiums across seven cities, with the earliest identified game at Wrigley Field on August 4, 1984 against the Mets, through their NLDS appearance against the Brewers last fall.

Home Runs

Name Total
Sammy Sosa 42
Aramis Ramirez 41
Derrek Lee 38

Hits

Name Total
Derrek Lee 245
Aramis Ramirez 216
Sammy Sosa 136

Runs

Name Total
Derrek Lee 136
Aramis Ramirez 114
Sammy Sosa 102

RBI

Name Total
Aramis Ramirez 151
Derrek Lee 128
Sammy Sosa 97

Doubles

Name Total
Derrek Lee 51
Aramis Ramirez 48
Michael Barrett 29

Triples Continue reading →