ST. LOUIS – “Nobody believed in us.”

It’s perhaps the most overused cliché in sports. It’s also extremely true of the Milwaukee Brewers .

Their preseason win total in Vegas was 83.5. PECOTA had them down for 80. They traded away Devin Williams and their biggest off-season signing was $4 million to José Quintana. They started the season 0-4 when the Yankees bludgeoned them and Elvin Rodríguez – remember him? – got rocked in the home opener. On May 18 they still sat four games below, 21-25, with an offense that couldn’t slug and a starting rotation ravaged by injury.

Sept. 21 at Busch Stadium, they popped bottles anyway, even after losing 5-1 to the St. Louis Cardinals .

“It’’s not how you start,” said a euphoric principal owner Mark Attanasio. “It’s how you finish. There’s someth

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