The 2026 postseason has not reached the World Series yet. The source article is focused on the NLCS, which means the league championship series is still about halfway through the postseason and the Fall Classic has not started in the timeline being discussed.
That matters because the current playoff stage helps explain the larger theme of the article: low-scoring games and dominant pitching are driving the 2026 run. Milwaukee has been a central part of that story, with Pat Murphy using seven different relievers during the team’s postseason run.
Milwaukee’s bullpen has set the tone
The Brewers have leaned on depth and run prevention throughout the NLDS and NLCS. In one stretch, Milwaukee held opponents to two runs or fewer 19 times, underscoring how often its pitching staff has controlled games. The article also points to a.212 mark and a.139 mark as part of the broader picture of the team’s postseason profile.
Several relievers have been highlighted in that mix, including Abner Uribe, DL Hall, Aaron Ashby and Jacob Misiorowski. Aaron Ashby’s path is especially notable because he did not pitch in the majors in 2023 after shoulder surgery, but he is part of the group helping Milwaukee navigate the 2026 playoffs.
How the pitching comparisons fit
The piece also compares postseason pitching standards across eras. Pitch tracking began in 2008, and that provides the reference point for comparing velocity trends. The article notes that the Houston Astros’ relievers posted a 0.83 ERA in 54⅓ innings in 2022, a reminder of how rare dominant bullpen stretches can be. It also references a 31% figure and a 32⅔-inning workload in the same broader postseason context.
Velocity remains a big part of the discussion. The article mentions pitchers working at 99-mph, 98 mph, 97.7 mph, 96.1 mph, 95.9 mph and even 88-mph, showing how the playoff environment can feature everything from elite heat to softer contact-management looks. The contrast helps explain why Milwaukee’s relief plan has been so effective.
What comes next
For readers asking when the World Series starts, the key answer from this source is simple: not yet. The 2026 postseason is still in the NLCS, so the Fall Classic remains ahead. The article’s focus is on how Milwaukee, the San Diego Padres and the Houston Astros fit into the broader playoff picture, but the World Series has not arrived in the timeline provided.
Jake Bauers also gets a brief spotlight for a Wednesday go-ahead home run in the seventh inning, another reminder that the postseason has been shaped by timely moments as much as by pitching. For now, though, the main story is the same one running through the 2026 playoffs: the road to the World Series is still being decided, one tight game at a time.
