The Milwaukee Brewers need four more victories to claim their inaugural World Series championship. While most fans look at the heavy hitters, the real magic is happening in the bullpen. Aaron Ashby has been the most effective arm for Milwaukee this October. He has pitched 12 1/3 scoreless innings so far this fall.
This isn’t just luck. Ashby has appeared in six of the eight playoff games played by the Brewers. He was a key part of the wins during the Division Series against the Padres and the Championship Series against the Dodgers. In fact, four of his six outings this postseason have been hitless. He is working in a role that looks like the old-school bullpen firemen. Most of his appearances, all but one, have lasted at least 1 2/3 innings.
The Workload of a Reliever
Ashby is carrying a much heavier load than the rest of the Milwaukee staff. Per FanGraphs, he has thrown more innings than any other Brewer during this postseason. To put that in perspective, starters Robert Gasser and Logan Henderson have only totaled nine innings each. Jacob Misiorowski is right behind them with eight innings. The 28-year-old lefty is simply staying on the mound longer than anyone else.
His ability to stay efficient helps the team manage the extra days off in the October schedule. He isn’t just pitching; he is dominating. Jim Henderson, the pitching coordinator, spoke about the player’s mindset after the NLCS victory.
Chasing a Historic Championship
The Brewers are not just trying to win a ring. They are trying to join a very small group of teams. According to CBS Sports, the Brewers could join an elite group of champions who won the World Series after having the best record in the regular season. The team currently holds the best regular-season record in MLB. If they win the next four games against the Tampa Bay Rays, they will complete a legendary run.
The path isn’t easy, but the talent is there. The Brewers are the superior team in this matchup and have had more rest. Even if they don’t hit that specific milestone, the regular season showed they were the best club from April through September. The current collective bargaining agreement even notes that “During the term of this Agreement, each Club shall be scheduled to play 162 games during each championship season.”
A Relentless Approach
The intensity Ashby brings to the mound is hard to fake. He doesn’t look for easy outs; he looks to overpower hitters. Henderson noted that the pitcher gives full effort every single day during catch. “He’s trained himself for it. Every single day he plays catch, he gives it a full effort. He doesn’t save bullets. He creates them,” Henderson said, per FanGraphs.
