Retour
Aaron Ashby has gotten his flowers throughout the 2026 postseason so far and that shouldn't slow down by any means.
The Milwaukee Brewers lefty had an absurd season. Ashby made 75 appearances in the regular season, which set a new career high. He logged a 3.12 ERA and a 116-to-41 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 89 1/3 innings pitched. Plus, he had a ridiculous 13-3 record. For much of the season, he was chasing the record for the most wins in a season by a reliever, although he wasn't able to reach that mark.
He may not have set the record for wins by a reliever in a season, but he has made postseason history. MLB's Sarah Langs reported on Saturday that Ashby is the first pitcher in postseason history to get at least five outs in six consecutive appearances and not allow a run in any of them.
Aaron Ashby is the first pitcher in postseason history to get at least 5 outs in six consecutive appearances and not allow a run in any of them https://t.co/cyhbtasT6X
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) October 25, 2026
It's not often that you see a postseason performance as good as what Ashby has been able to deliver for the Brewers this fall. The Brewers have played 10 playoff games so far in 2026 and Ashby pitched in eight of them. He has pitched more than one inning in nine of the 10 outings, including each of his last six in a row. Still, he has been nearly perfect and hasn't allowed a run in 15 2/3 innings of action. Ashby has a 17-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio and has allowed just five base hits. He has earned one win, three saves and two holds. Simply put, he has been absurd.
The entire bullpen has been great, but Ashby has been the guy who has carried the load above all else.
One thing that adds even more to the absurdity of Ashby's postseason run is the fact that he shared on Saturday night that he actually changed his changeup grip roughly two weeks ago.
Aaron Ashby switched the grip on his changeup... two weeks ago?!
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) October 25, 2026
The @Brewers dominant southpaw joined the #MLBTonight desk to recap his outing in Game 2 and the confidence he has using his full arsenal in any situation. pic.twitter.com/rfOw0pNaqW
The change certainly hasn't slowed him down or brought a learning curve. Instead, he has just been incredible. In the postseason, you need a strong bullpen to have success. Starters typically have shorter leashes than in the regular season, so the bullpen tends to come in and get more time.
On Saturday, the bullpen got six innings of work, including 1 2/3 innings from Ashby. In the postseason so far, Milwaukee has had the best overall bullpen. Unsurprisingly, that has led to a lot of success and now Milwaukee is the team on the doorstep of a championship.