Chicago Cubs vs Milwaukee Brewers Matches: Scores, Stats, H2H

The Brewers and Cubs have tangled in hundreds of regular-season battles, but their October 11, 2025 clash felt different. That night at American Family Field, Milwaukee clinched its first-ever postseason series against Chicago, winning 3-1 in Game 5 of the NLDS and sending Cubs fans into a spiral with that now-infamous “L” flag photo. The series wrapped a rivalry that runs far deeper than any single game—and the numbers tell the whole story.

Total games since 2003: 299 · Chicago Cubs wins: 140 · Milwaukee Brewers wins (regular season): 160-140 lead · Postseason games: Brewers 3-2 · Game 5 NLDS 2025 result: Brewers 3-1

How many Cubs vs. Brewers games are there?

The two NL Central franchises have met 299 times since 2003, with Milwaukee holding a slight edge. According to StatMuse, the Brewers lead the all-time series 233-228 when including postseason matchups. That works out to a .505 win percentage for Milwaukee over 461 total games.

In the regular season alone, AiScore reports Brewers have won 160 of those 299 meetings, with total runs favoring Milwaukee 1255-1169. The Cubs have managed 140 wins over the same span, making the margin razor thin.

Regular season totals

• Since 2001: 299 games total
• Brewers wins: 160 (per AiScore)
• Cubs wins: 140 (per AiScore)
• Runs scored: Brewers 1255, Cubs 1169

Postseason matchups

• 2025 NLDS: Brewers won 3-2
• First-ever postseason meeting
• Game scores: 9-3, 7-3, 4-3, 6-0, 3-1

When do the Brewers play next vs Cubs?

After the dramatic NLDS series, both teams return to their 2026 schedules. Wikipedia confirms the next Cubs home dates at Wrigley Field will be May 18-20 and August 31 through September 3, 2026. The Brewers will host at American Family Field during June 26-28 and September 7-9.

Brewers snapped a six-series postseason losing streak with their NLDS victory, per MLB.com. That breakthrough means Milwaukee heads to the NLCS while the Cubs turn their attention toward 2026.

Game 5 time and playoff schedule

Game 5 of the 2025 NLDS tipped off on October 11 at American Family Field. Brice Turang delivered the insurance home run that sealed the 3-1 victory. All five games broke entirely along home-field lines—the visiting team never won.

Upcoming 2026 games

• Cubs home: May 18-20, 2026
• Cubs home: Aug 31-Sept 3, 2026
• Brewers home: June 26-28, 2026
• Brewers home: Sept 7-9, 2026

The 2026 schedule carries extra weight for Cubs fans after their team dominated the regular season but failed to advance past October.

Who is favored to win game 5 Cubs or Brewers?

Betting odds before Game 5 favored the Brewers slightly, given their home-field advantage and the fact that American Family Field had already produced two Brewers wins that series. The home team won all five NLDS games in 2025, as documented by Wikipedia.

The final result matched the odds: Brewers closed out the series 3-1, with Brice Turang’s insurance homer in the seventh inning proving decisive. Sporting News noted that the Brewers nearly broke an MLB playoff record for runs in the first two innings during Game 1, building a 9-1 lead.

Predictions and odds

• Home team won all five 2025 NLDS games
• Brewers finished with best record in NL (97-65)
• Cubs went 92-70 in 2025 regular season

Recent form

The Brewers staggered into the postseason having lost the regular season series to Chicago 7-6. But they found another gear in October, outscoring the Cubs 22-10 across the final three games of the NLDS.

Is Cubs vs. Brewers best of 5 or 7?

The NLDS format is best of five, meaning a team needs three wins to advance. That is standard across all MLB division series matchups. The Brewers clinched their third win on October 11, taking the series 3-2 after the Cubs had evened things at 2-2 with a dominant Game 4 shutout.

NLDS series format

• Best-of-five format (first to 3 wins)
• 2025 NLDS: Brewers clinched in 5 games
• 2-2 series before Game 5 decider

Historical context

Before 2025, the Cubs and Brewers had never met in the postseason, per Reviewing the Brew. The 2025 NLDS marked the first October collision between the two franchises in any sport, let alone baseball. That makes Game 5’s result a historic split in the rivalry’s relatively short postseason history.

The implication: this inaugural postseason chapter set the tone for how future October meetings between these rivals might unfold.

What were the results of Cubs vs Brewers last 5 games?

The most recent five meetings tell a clear story: dominance flipped based entirely on venue. Here are the final scores from the 2025 NLDS, per ESPN recap data:

Recent scores

Game 1 was the most lopsided: Brewers nearly broke an MLB playoff record, scoring nine runs in the first two innings alone. Sporting News documented that the Cubs burned through three pitchers before the second inning even ended, a sign of things to come.

Head-to-head trends

• Home team won all five 2025 NLDS games
• Cubs won 7-6 in regular season before playoffs
• Brewers won 8-5 in 2024 regular season
• Brewers won 7-6 in 2023 regular season

The rivalry in context

The Brewers-Cubs tension predates the modern rivalry data. Craig Counsell, now Cubs manager, spent years running Milwaukee’s bench before switching benches in 2023. That managerial shuffle added personal stakes to an already charged matchup.

The pattern reveals a cyclical rivalry: Milwaukee controlled 2023 and 2024, Chicago took 2025’s regular season, then Milwaukee stole October. Both fan bases entered 2025 with legitimate claims that their team was dominant—the series results cancel those claims out almost perfectly. For those interested in the latest scores and stats, the Lyon vs Man United result provides a comprehensive overview.

For Cubs fans, the sting of October 11 will linger through the winter. Their team finished with the better regular-season record, won the season series 7-6, and still walked away with nothing to show for it except a viral image of Milwaukee players laughing in front of a giant letter L. The 2026 schedule already carries extra weight because of it.