Key Milwaukee

22 keymilwaukee.com Brewers in MLB playoffs with home-field advantage The Milwaukee Brewers, a team with a roster full of unknowns, are in the October Major League Baseball playoffs with the best regular-season record and a home-field advantage. The team that was written off as a contender at the start of the season vaulted to the top of the major league standings in August and September. The Brewers were the first team to clinch a postseason berth, the first to win 80 games and the first to win 90. The Brewers' regular season featured outstanding pitching by new and experienced hurlers, along with clutch hitting by veteran players and others who are in the big leagues for the first time. The MLBs Central Division was formed in 1994 and the Brewers are the first team to win it four years in a row. The team also has won the division crown five of the last six years and six of the last nine. Manager Pat Murphy has maintained a low-key ap- proach, even as his team set Brewers records for winning streaks during the second half of the regular season. The veteran MLB coach calls the soft-spoken Christian Yelich the necessary leader required of successful teams. At KeyMilwaukee's press time, the Brewers again had won the National League Central Division crown. The team also had the best record in baseball, which meant that every postseason series will start in Milwaukee. The Brewers will begin postseason play against the winner of the wild-card series tentatively between the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs. The Brewers will have home-field advantage in the best three of five series, with games 1, 2 and 5 at Milwaukee's American Family Field. Tickets for postseason games went on sale Sept. 23. Visit brewers.com for up-to-date information and tickets to playoff games. BUCKS OPEN SEASON WITH NEW LOOK A new era of Milwaukee Bucks basketball tips off this fall at Fiserv Forum. After 13 seasons in Milwaukee, superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo was traded to the Miami Heat in July, along with longtime fan favorite Bobby Portis. Coming to Milwaukee in the big trade were Milwaukee native and NBA All Star Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel'el Ware and first-round draft pick Nate Ament. In addition, Brandon Burries, the Bucks' first-round pick from Arizona, looked very strong against the pros this summer. Sportwriters argue that the major problem for the Bucks continues to be rebounding, but veteran Myles Turner has shown leadership at center during the summer. Rookie guard Burries is a rebounder as well as scorer, and Ware is a seven footer who has potential to assist Turner and Kyle Kuzma on the boards. Fans at an October game will get an early look at a dramatically reshaped roster and new head coach Taylor Jenkins' decisions after replacing Doc Rivers in April. Expect the same lively game-night atmosphere at Fiserv Forum and throughout the Deer District as Milwaukee welcomes a new chapter of Bucks basketball. For tickets to Bucks home games visit Bucks.com. Even when the team is on the road, visitors enjoy the Bucks Pro Shop in the popular Deer District. Oct. 9, Oct. 14 (Preseason), Oct. 22, 28, 30 (Regular Season) Fiserv Forum 1111 Vel R. Phillips Ave. (414) 227-0500/ fiservforum.com T H E M I LW A U K E E R I V E R C H A L L E N G E This annual crew race featuring collegiate and club teams will be staged along the Menomonee and Milwaukee Rivers from 8:30am-2pm Oct. 3. The race takes the crews through a difficult three-mile course on the Menomonee River, making a sharp turn north on the Milwaukee River. Oct. 3, hosted by The Milwaukee Rowing Club. milwaukeeriverchallenge.com S P O R T S

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