Watching the Milwaukee Brewers this postseason has brought mixed feelings. On one hand, the admiration for the way they play the game and how good they are is palpable. They enter tonight with eight straight wins, five of them on the road. A win tonight would give them sweeps in both the National League Championship Series and the World Series. For perspective, not even the New York Yankees’ dynasty of the late ’90s and early 2000s accomplished that feat.

On the other hand, there’s an element of jealousy among Reds fans who wonder why their team can’t be what the Brewers are. That’s not to offer Bob Castellini any sympathy. It’s because the Reds share a division with the Brewers, who have outclassed them for years. They don’t do it with big, long home runs. Instead, it’s death by a thousand cuts. The Brewers grind out at-bats, get on base, drive runners in, and beat you into submission.

Death by a Thousand Cuts

In Game 3 of the World Series on Monday night, the Brewers scored eight runs in the top of the fifth… with two outs. Think about that: eight runs with two outs. It turned a 2-0 game into a 10-0 rout. On the road, the Brewers put the kibosh on a really good Tampa Bay Rays team. What’s more, the Brewers have outscored the Rays 15-1 over the last 17 1/2 innings. Since trailing 4-0 after the top of the first in Game 2, the Brewers have turned the World Series on its head and are now one win away from their first World Series title.

How many home runs have the Brewers hit in the last 17 1/2 innings? One. Just one. That’s it. Since falling behind 4-0 in Game 2, the Brewers have totaled 27 hits, five doubles, eight walks, and 13 strikeouts while going 12-for-33 with runners in scoring position. That includes a 9-for-18 performance with runners in scoring position in Game 3. They created 18 of those opportunities and capitalized on 50 percent of them. Again, death by a thousand cuts. We’ve seen them do this against the Reds. Now, the rest of Major League Baseball is seeing them do it on the game’s biggest stage.

A Fanbase That Has Bought In

Brewers fans took over Tropicana Field on Monday night. My sister, who lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, told me there were even more Brewers fans than Rays fans at the bar. Not only do the Brewers play the game the right way, but their fans travel. It’s not a cult-like following. It’s a fanbase that cares deeply about its team and is completely invested as the Brewers stand on the doorstep of bringing their first World Series title to Milwaukee.

The Reds have a special place in Major League Baseball history. They were the first professional baseball franchise. Reds fans care deeply. They know ball. They also want a winner. Desperately. During a dinner conversation with friends during Game 3, one of them said nothing rallies this city more than a contending Reds team making a deep playoff run. It’s hard to argue with that, given this city’s baseball history and the Reds’ place in it.

Look at what the Milwaukee Brewers are doing and how much their fanbase cares. This is a division rival experiencing this. When it hits that close to home, it makes you think. A team like the Brewers is doing this, and its fanbase is responding.

Reds Fans Would Do the Same

If the Reds were playing the Rays in the World Series, their fans would be taking over Tropicana Field and St. Petersburg. I know it, and I’m sure you feel that as a Reds fan, too. When organizations know what they’re doing from a baseball operations standpoint, their fans will reward them the way Brewers fans have. Remember when Bob Castellini said, “Fans love home runs?" Sure, they do. But they also love watching a team play the game the right way and win. The Brewers made sound baseball decisions, built a winner, and gave their fans a reason to buy in.

There’s jealousy in watching the Brewers and their fans this postseason. But there’s also admiration for the way they play the game. Getting on base, advancing on the base paths, driving in runs, and winning the chess match that baseball can be. That’s what the Brewers are doing. If only the Reds could eventually do the same. The fans will reward them, just as Brewers fans have rewarded their team.