The Cubs and Brewers ended the2018 season tied for the division lead and the NL's bestwin–loss record at 95–67 (.586), thereby guaranteeing that whoever lost would host the Wild Card Game the next day.[3] The tie-breaker was counted as a regular season game for both teams, with all events in the game added to regular season statistics.[4][5] October 1 also marked the first time two division tie-breakers had been played in a single season.[6]
The Brewers' July 27 trade withKansas City reunited former teammates and2015 World Series championsMike Moustakas (left) withLorenzo Cain (right).[7] Cain signed with Milwaukee as a free agent in the offseason.[8] Both men hit singles in the tiebreaker.
Chicago had won two consecutiveNational League Central Division championships,[9] and were expected to win a third-consecutive division title.[10][11] TheMilwaukee Brewers finished 2017 six games back of the Cubs, despite leading the 2017 division race by 5.5 games at the All-Star break. Milwaukee's last playoff appearance was its2011 division title.[12]
Milwaukee emerged from a crowded early division race on May 18. Chicago took the division lead from the Brewers on July 14 and maintained sole possession of first place until falling to a third-placeSt. Louis club at home in the penultimate game of the season.[19] Chicago had surged out of theAll-Star break to a five-game lead over the Brewers lead on September 2, but Milwaukee put together a 19–7 September record[20] that included four wins over the Cubs in nine days.
The Brewers ended the season on an 8-game win streak,[21] while the Cubs won their final game 10–5 over the Cards to force the tiebreaker.[22] The Cubs won the right to host the tie-breaker with an 11–8 head-to-head record against the Brewers.[22]
With the win, the Brewers extended their regular-season win streak to 9 and qualified for home-field advantage throughout the NL playoffs. Finishing one loss behind the Brewers, the Cubs hosted the2018 NL Wild Card Game and theNL West runner-up Rockies the following day. Colorado defeated the Cubs in 13 innings.[2] It was Chicago's first opening-round exit since theDodgers swept theCubs in the2008 NLDS.[b]
Milwaukee swept the Rockies in theNLDS,[34] but their win streak ended at 14 in theNLCS when theDodgers beat Milwaukee 4–3 on October 13, the Brewers' first loss in 27 days.[35] L.A. would win the NLpennant atMiller Park in seven games.[36]
This game, along with theNL West tie-breaker game, were the last such tie-breaker games in Major League Baseball, as the league eliminated this scenario starting with the2022 season. All ties in the standings would be broken through various formulas.[41]
^The following season, MLB eliminated the waiver trade, which had allowed teams to conduct trades after the July 31 deadline by first putting a player on a "trade waiver." Teams could then claim that player. The team with lowest record among those claiming the waivered player could then initiate a trade transaction. The so-called "waiver deadline" was Aug. 31.[23][24]
^Major League Baseball changed itsplayoff format in 2012 from a four-team to a five-team format, adding a second Wild Card spot and each league's respectiveWild Card play-in game.[33] In 2008, the top-seeded Cubs hosted the lowest seeded division champion, the Dodgers (the NL West champions) instead of the Brewers due to the Brewers being the wild card team, and the previously used restriction of teams from the same division meeting in the Division Series, in the 2008 NLDS.
^L, Jaymes (March 23, 2018)."2018 NL Central Preview: Chicago Cubs".Brew Crew Ball. SB Nation. RetrievedJuly 12, 2021.The Cubs should probably win the NL Central again this year, and they should probably win it by a fairly comfortable (let's say at least 5-ish games?) margin.
^Miller, Bradon (July 9, 2020)."Cubs Release Brandon Morrow Following Yet Another Procedure".Cubs Insider. RetrievedJuly 13, 2021.Brandon Morrow was the definition of "sparkle and fade" during his time with the Cubs, starting the first half of 2018 as a dominant closer before a string of injuries prevented him from ever pitching again.
^"Trade Deadline | Glossary".www.mlb.com. Major League Baseball. RetrievedJuly 13, 2021.As of 2019, the July 31 Trade Deadline is the only trade deadline.
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