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PITTSBURGH – The Milwaukee Brewers handled their business, downing the Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-1, at PNC Park on Tuesday night, Sept. 15.

Their magic number to win their fourth straight Central Division title to one, they then were forced to wait as the Chicago Cubs played the Atlanta Braves at Wrigley Field in a game that started an hour later.

The Braves rallied for a 6-3 victory meaning another champagne celebration for the Brewers.

BOX SCORE: Brewers 5. Pirates 1

In what was likely his penultimate start in the regular season, Jacob Misiorowski shut the Pirates out over five innings with a four-run sixth inning by the Brewers’ offense allowing manager Pat Murphy to pull the plug early on his ace.

Rookie Luis Lara drove in the first run of the game with a sacrifice fly in the second inning and that tally held up into the sixth, when Lara helped pad the advantage with an RBI double followed by a two-RBI single from Joey Ortiz one batter later.

The game was the first in a taxing nine-games-in-10-days trip that will continue this weekend in Baltimore before concluding next week in Philadelphia.

Shutout bid is scuttled

With DL Hall on the mound, Brandon Lowe greeted him in the eighth with a homer off the foul pole in right – his 30th of the season that trimmed Milwaukee’s lead to 5-1.

Pittsburgh put a pair of runners on against Trevor Megill in the ninth, but he retired the next three batters to lock down the victory.

Finally, the Brewers open up their lead

Facing Pittsburgh’s one-time closer Gregory Soto, four of the first five batters reached base against him to open the sixth with Brice Turang walking and William Contreras doubling off the wall in right to set the table.

After Jake Bauers struck out, Soto fired a wild pitch while walking Christian Yelich to allow Turang to score. Lara followed with a double to right that scored Contreras and ended Soto’s night.

Ortiz then greeted Wilber Dotel with a two-run single to left, upping Milwaukee’s lead to 5-0.

With that breathing room, Misiorowski exited at that point in favor of Aaron Ashby.

In five innings and 82 pitches, Misiorowski (15-5) allowed five hits and a walk while striking out seven, lowering his season ERA slightly from 1.95 to 1.89.

He also moved from fourth place into a tie for second with Corbin Burnes for most strikeouts in a single season for the Brewers with 243.

Milwaukee catches a break

After Oneil Cruz struck out to start the Pirates’ fourth, Nick Gonzales, Ryan O’Hearn and Rafael Flores Jr. singled in succession, with Flores’s grounder glancing off the glove of a diving David Hamilton at third base and trickling into short left field.

Gonzales should have scored easily on the play but stayed put at third. Then, O’Hearn was tagged in a rundown between second and third. After Spencer Horwitz flew out to leave Pittsburgh scoreless, boos rained down from the crowd as Misiorowski and the Brewers caught a major break.

Small ball for the first run

After Misiorowski struck out the side on 12 pitches in the first inning, Bauers led off the second with a single.

Brewers right fielder Luis Lara is greeted by third baseman David Hamilton after he and Christian Yelich scored on a hit during the sixth inning against the Pirates on Tuesday, Sep 15, 2026 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

He advanced to second on a groundout by Yelich and then to third on a wild pitch by opener Lake Bachar before coming in to score on a Lara sacrifice fly to center.

Ortiz and Hamilton followed by singling and after Hamilton stole second, the Pirates elected to walk Garrett Mitchell to load the bases for Jackson Chourio.

Chourio flew out to center, however, leaving the Brewers to settle for the lone run.

What is the Brewers’ record?

94-57, tops in the major leagues.

Brewers-Pirates probable pitchers, schedule

Brewers at Pirates, Sept. 16, 5:40 p.m.: Milwaukee RHP Logan Henderson (10-3, 2.34) vs. Pittsburgh RHP Jared Jones (4-6, 4.10). TV – Brewers.TV. Radio – AM-620 WTMJ.

Brewers at Pirates, Sept. 17, 11:35 a.m.: Milwaukee RHP Dustin May (7-6, 4.49) vs. Pittsburgh TBA. TV – Brewers.TV. Radio – AM-620 WTMJ.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers 5, Pirates 1: Milwaukee clinches NL Central title

Reporting by Todd Rosiak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

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