MLB and its television partners prayed for playoffs to be decided on Sunday, the 27th, such that every game was scheduled for a 2:10 CT first pitch. Last week, I waxed melancholy about attending a final regular season game and what it means to me and other fans. Because the Cubs played their season finale during the week, I had to change my plans. I was up in Milwaukee with buddy, Ed for the Brewers sweep of the hated Cards.

As far as playoff seeding went, nothing much was as stake on Sunday as the Rangers flopped majestically and the Astros squeaked in with an 81-81 record. Luis Arraez didn’t get a chance to win his fourth batting title with a fourth team, and Gabe Moreno didn’t pull a Bill Madlock in inching out Arraez. Neither PCA nor Kyle Schwarber hit homers on the last day, and the two tied for the NL lead with 45.

And other than ending the season on a high note, the Brewers didn’t need to defeat and sweep the Cards, but they did so and won their franchise best 103rd game. However, ending the season on a five-game winning streak allowed Pat Murphy & Company to set up for the playoffs. And while it won’t likely have any bearing on the CY race, Jacob Misiorowski did put an exclamation point on his season.

It turned out to be a perfect weather day at the ballpark as evidenced by the late arriving crowd who was busy tailgating and bemoaning the Packers poor performance on Thursday. It’s always more pleasant when the puffy-chested Packer/Wisconsin fans aren’t celebrating.

While the Cards fans had nothing to cheer about, they showed up and supported their team. Not having an NFL team to root for might have had something to do with their crossing two state borders. Thankfully, nobody wearing Cardinal red was sitting up in our section on the 400 level behind home plate. Editor’s note, I’m still working on my photos as some lady’s head and the railing are hard to crop out.

Most fans attend games hoping their favorite player or the best player(s) on their team play their best. We all know that’s not how baseball works and we expect the unexpected. That being said, Ed and I were both looking forward to seeing vintage Mis. At the very least, I wanted to see him reach 250 strikeouts for the season. It was also paramount that he exit the game healthy and ready for the upcoming NLDS.

While he set down STL 1-3 in the first inning, it was the offense that won the game in the first inning. The first four Milwaukee hitters singled, and three would score on two more singles. Staked to an early 3-0 lead, they were able to withstand Mis’s wobbling. His command or lack thereof was surprising, but it was balanced by his poise. He didn’t have his best stuff, but unlike other iffy outings (by his standards), he didn’t surrender any costly home runs. It was the first time I remember him allowing soft contact.

The Brewers tacked on two more runs on a third inning, Gary Sanchez, two-run homer. They scratched out a sixth and final run on a walk and a couple singles in the 4th inning. Of their 10 hits, 9 were singles. Misiorowski reached 250 when he struck out Nolan Gorman in the fourth. Much to the surprise of the 43, 566, he returned to the mound for the 6th inning with a 6-0 lead. striking out the leadoff hitter, Murphy pulled him so everyone could show their appreciation for what he’s done. There’s a pretty good chance that it will be most fans’ last look at him this year in person.

Reliever DL Hall shut STL for the next 2.1 innings and was followed by Chad Patrick allowed four runs on two walks, a triple and 3-homer in 1/3 of an inning. Shane Drohan retired the final five hitters for his second save of the season.

For the record, Mis pitched 5.1 innings of two-hit, two-walk shutout ball. He only struck out five, but finished the season with a league-leading 252, 1.80 ERA, .80 WHIP, .157 AVG against, and 16-5 record.

While the Cubs had already screwed themselves out of the homefield advantage in the wildcard round, they did salvage a game in the series with the Red Sox and finished the season 1-5. I’m not sure if they set themselves up for the Padres series in the process.