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The playoff format the MLB has used since 2022 has given way to plenty of heartbreak. For the second-consecutive season, the Milwaukee Brewers, despite winning the NL Central, were unable to make it to the NLDS. This time, the Brewers exited the postseason in rather gut-wrenching fashion, with two-time All-Star closer Devin Williams failing to protect a 2-0 lead against the New York Mets in Game 3 of the Wild Card series after allowing a monstrous three-run home run to Pete Alonso in the top of the ninth inning.
The Brewers could not have asked to be in a better position while holding a two-run lead while needing to get only three outs to secure the ballgame. Williams has been one of the best closers in the MLB this season; despite missing a chunk of time due to injury, Williams still record 14 saves in 15 tries while sporting an elite ERA of 1.25 in 21.2 innings of work this season. But he could not deliver for the Brewers when it mattered the most.
“I'm not going to make any excuses. I didn't execute the way I needed to. They got the job done and I didn't. It's a lot of disappointment, you know. We worked all year to get to this point. They got me a two-run lead during the ninth, you know, that's how we draw it up. And I couldn't come through for the boys. No one feels worse than I do,” a crestfallen Williams told reporters following the Brewers' season-ending loss, via Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.
Devin Williams on the pitch to Pete Alonso, and the empty feeling that he let his team down. pic.twitter.com/Btq9NpZ2Ee
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) October 4, 2024
The vibes have been immaculate for the Brewers all-season long; they have defied expectations, continuing to truck along as the best team in the NL Central despite losing Craig Counsell to the Chicago Cubs and trading away ace Corbin Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles. So for the Brewers' season to come to an end with a single swing of the bat makes it all the more difficult for Williams.
“This is the closest team that I've played on. That's why it makes it that much more disappointing. Everyone did their job except for me. I feel like I let everyone down,” Williams said.
Brewers get the short end of the MLB playoff format stick
The way the Brewers front office run the team is something to be applauded. They may not break the bank to keep their most talented players past their years of team control, but they have stumbled upon a formula for sustained success. They have made the playoffs six times over the past seven seasons, and in the season in which they failed to make the postseason, they won 86 games.
However, over the past two seasons, the Brewers have not reaped the usual rewards that come with winning the division title. Under the previous playoff format, all division winners are guaranteed a spot in the NLDS — a best-of-five series — with two Wild Card teams duking it out in a single-game elimination contest for a spot in the MLB's final eight.
But now, the “worst” division winner of the bunch is relegated to the Wild Card — a best-of-three series. For two consecutive seasons, the Brewers have been eliminated from the playoffs by a red-hot Wild Card team after losing just two games.
Of course, the Brewers could have gotten through to the NLDS had Devin Williams been his usual self, execution-wise. But still, it's hard to feel as though Milwaukee hasn't gotten the short end of the stick in this new playoff format.
