Both No. 1 seeds are from smaller markets. Will that matter in the playoffs? Or in the labor fight?

One of the game's smallest markets was baseball's biggest winner during the regular season. The Milwaukee Brewers, a team from a small market, won their final five games to finish with a franchise-record 103 victories. This remarkable season marked their fourth consecutive playoff appearance and eighth in the past nine years.

Despite never having won a World Series or a pennant since 1982, the Brewers' performance in the postseason is expected to be closely analyzed in the context of baseball's competitive balance and the looming labor dispute. Their position as one of the top seeds in the National League, along with the Tampa Bay Rays, a team from another small market, highlights the gap between revenue-sharing in baseball.

The team's success is attributed to their best run differential in baseball, and their star player, Jacob Misiorowski, is being considered as the most watchable star in the sport. This winning season has caught the attention of fans and observers alike, as they prepare to face the Los Angeles Dodgers, who won the last two World Series, and the Houston Astros, who had an outstanding final-week push for the AL West title.