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09/28 05:00 CDT Both No. 1 seeds are from smaller markets. Will that matter in the playoffs? Or in the labor fight? Both No. 1 seeds are from smaller markets. Will that matter in the playoffs? Or in the labor fight? By NOAH TRISTER AP Baseball Writer One of the game's smallest markets was baseball's biggest winner during the regular season. For the second year in a row. The Milwaukee Brewers won their final five games this week to finish with a franchise-record 103 victories. That's after they set the previous team mark with 97 last season --- a total that also led the major leagues. The 2026 Brewers had the best run differential in baseball, and they enter the playoffs with perhaps the game's most watchable star. With Shohei Ohtani not pitching at the moment, has Jacob Misiorowski surpassed him as the sport's must-see attraction? Either way, the Brewers might be baseball's biggest story heading into this postseason. They haven't won a pennant since 1982, and they've never won a World Series, but this is their fourth straight playoff appearance and eighth in nine years. And you can bet their performance from here forward will be viewed against the backdrop of baseball's competitive balance and a likely labor dispute in the offseason. As much as the regular season is a grueling test of consistent excellence, it's still the postseason that sticks in the minds of fans and casual observers. The big-spending Los Angeles Dodgers won the last two World Series, and that's gone a long way toward creating the impression that baseball needs substantial changes. Now, the Brewers --- who have ranked dead last in the collective bargaining agreement's revenue sharing "market score" --- are the top seed in the National League. And another team from a smaller market, Tampa Bay, is the top seed in the AL. Cleveland is also in the postseason and has a first-round bye in the American League. It's naive to think one year's results would have a huge effect on negotiations between the union and management, but if the Brewers, Rays or Guardians go all the way, that could certainly change the narrative a bit.

Trivia time Who hit a two-run single in the seventh inning of the decisive game of the AL Championship Series to lift the Brewers to the pennant in 1982?

Performance of the week Houston's Lucas Spence hit three home runs --- the first three of his big league career --- to help the Astros to a 7-5 win over the Athletics on Thursday night. Spence had only 40 major league at-bats before the game and was just called up from the minors the day before. The win was part of Houston's successful final-week push for the AL West title, which the Astros managed to win with an 81-81 record. Honorable mention: Miami's Eury Prez threw a one-hit shutout against Atlanta on Friday night. It was the first complete game of his career and one of only 11 shutouts thrown by big league players in 2026. Nobody pitched more than one.

Comeback of the week Down 6-0 in the sixth inning, the Athletics overtook the Los Angeles Angels without even batting in the ninth Tuesday night. Lawrence Butler hit an RBI triple in the sixth and scored later that inning to make it 6-2. Then the A's scored three runs in the seventh. Carlos Cortes tripled home a run and came home on Shea Langeliers' single, and Jeff McNeil drew a bases-loaded walk, cutting the lead to one. In the bottom of the eighth, Cortes and Zack Gelof each hit a two-run homer, giving the A's a 9-6 lead. They won 9-7. Los Angeles had a win probability of 97.6% in the sixth inning, according to Baseball Savant. The Athletics ended up finishing two games ahead of the Angels at the bottom of the AL West.

Trivia answer Cecil Cooper. ___ See AP's full MLB coverage here

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