Rivalries

Lore & Background

The Brewers and Cubs have been playing each other in spring training Cactus League games since the Brewers franchise began as the Seattle Pilots in 1969. However, the rivalry did not begin until the Brewers moved from the American League (AL) Central Division to the National League Central. Until then, the Brewers had a rivalry with Chicago's AL team, the White Sox. The rivalry originated from when the Braves were in Milwaukee from 1953 to 1965.

When the Brewers moved from the AL to the NL in 1998, one of the reasons given for the switch was to rekindle the rivalry the Braves and Cubs had. The Brewers and Cubs met for the first official time on June 13, 1997, in interleague play, a 4–2 Brewers victory at Wrigley Field. They met for the first time as division rivals on June 15, 1998, a 6–5 Cubs victory also in Wrigley Field. In 2018, the teams played a Game 163 to determine the NL Central division championship, which the Brewers won 3–1 at Wrigley Field. The first postseason meeting between the two teams took place in 2025 in the NLDS, which the Brewers won in five games.

Reader's Guide

The rivalry is known for the large number of Cubs fans in attendance at games in Milwaukee, leading Cubs fans to call Miller Park by the derisive nickname 'Wrigley North'. The Brewers started the 'Take Back Miller Park' campaign in 2006 to regain home field advantage. The rivalry intensified in 2007 and 2008 as both teams battled for the NL Central crown, which the Cubs claimed both seasons. In 2018, the Brewers won the division in a tie-breaker game. In 2023, Craig Counsell left the Brewers to become the Cubs manager, admitting he may have underestimated the rivalry part of Brewers fans feeling like he just went to 'the other side'.