Brewers Win 100 Games For First Time In Franchise History

Then came the reason for the pinch-hit. Contreras didn't run out a grounder in his previous at-bat, so Murphy sat him with the season's biggest milestone on the line in a tie game.

Adam McCalvy

@AdamMcCalvy

Murph pinch-hit for Contreras in the eighth because he didn’t run out a grounder in his previous at-bat. More of the manager’s explanation to come.

That's either a 100-win manager holding everyone to the same standard or a clubhouse story that runs all week, and it's probably both. Taking your starting DH out for effort in September, with a 1-seed in reach, tells the room the rules still apply in October. It helps a lot that the guy who replaced him walked, stole a base, scored the go-ahead run and homered.

Adam McCalvy

@AdamMcCalvy

Once the Brewers had 100 wins in sight, there was debate about how, or even whether, to mark the milestone. In the end, they did it just right. They broke out the good stuff. t.co/q0fGkmozS3

The celebration turned out to be small, since the Brewers know what 100 wins does and doesn't buy you. Of the 10 teams that won 100 earlier this decade, 8 lost their first-round series. Next up is clinching the top seed, then getting Contreras back on board before the NLDS, with Drohan on the roster come hell or high water.