Could the NL Central dagger come at 1 o’clock on a Thursday afternoon?
It’s certainly possible.
After Wednesday’s win over Cincinnati, the Brewers have now opened up a 9.5-game lead atop the division.
Thursday will mark their final regular season game against the Reds.
If the Brewers complete the sweep, they’ll own a 10.5-game lead with 34 games to play.
Translation: it’s all but over.
That would be a historically catastrophic collapse.
Some quick research revealed that only the 1995 California Angels blew a bigger divisional lead in August.
They led by 11.5 games on August 9th, and even they got into a one-game playoff with the Mariners that year.
The Brewers can’t and won’t put that much weight on today’s game.
It’s definitely not the end of the world if they lose today, either.
There will be no champagne or plastic wrap in the clubhouse.
There’s more work left to be done.
Simply let this serve as some historical context of just how close the Brewers are to their 2nd division title in 4 years.