The Milwaukee Brewers were four runs down in hostile territory, facing the two-time defending champions and a stadium that had suddenly come alive. Then they turned the clincher into the kind of comeback their fans had waited 44 years to see.
Milwaukee defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6–4 on Thursday night, completing a four-game sweep of the National League Championship Series and earning its first World Series appearance since 1982. The victory also ended Los Angeles’ bid to become the first National League club to win three consecutive World Series titles.
A 4–0 lead disappears
Shohei Ohtani’s three-run homer helped Los Angeles build a 4–0 advantage in the second inning, but Milwaukee answered in stages. Jake Bauers hit a two-run ground-rule double in the fourth. David Hamilton added an RBI single in the fifth, and Bauers drew a bases-loaded walk that tied the score.
Garrett Mitchell put Milwaukee ahead for good with a leadoff home run in the sixth. Hamilton added insurance with a ninth-inning homer, while Aaron Ashby recorded the final nine outs to close the door. The four-run rally tied the largest comeback ever made by a team clinching a league championship series, according to MLB.com.
Bauers turns a series into an MVP moment
Bauers was named NLCS Most Valuable Player after batting .286 with one home run and six RBIs in the four games. His six RBIs matched the franchise record for a postseason series, and he became the first Brewers player to win an LCS MVP award.
“They have a bunch of Hall of Famers, but we have a bunch of gamers,” Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said during the trophy presentation, according to Reuters. “And the gamers won this week.”
The sweep carried a year of history
The result delivered more than a pennant. Los Angeles swept Milwaukee out of the 2025 NLCS on its way to a second straight championship. One year later, the Brewers became the first team in major-league history to return the favor by sweeping the same opponent that had swept them the previous postseason.
The Dodgers had the star power, payroll and postseason experience. The Brewers countered with a deep bullpen, timely hitting and relentless pressure. Four Milwaukee relievers held Los Angeles scoreless over the final seven innings of Game 4, and the Dodgers repeatedly stranded potential tying runs late.
A small-market World Series is coming
Milwaukee will host Game 1 of the World Series on October 23 against either the Cleveland Guardians or Tampa Bay Rays. No matter which American League team advances, the matchup will feature two clubs from the bottom half of MLB payrolls for the first time since 1991, the Associated Press reported.
The Brewers ranked 19th in payroll as of August 31, while Tampa Bay ranked 25th and Cleveland 30th. Milwaukee also plays in MLB’s smallest television market. That backdrop adds another layer to a World Series arriving just as owners and players are arguing over salary-cap proposals and a possible lockout after the season.
One more step after a 44-year wait
Milwaukee’s only previous World Series appearance came in 1982, when the franchise still played in the American League and lost a seven-game series to St. Louis. The Brewers have never won a championship.
Now a team that spent the NLCS refusing to stay down has four more wins between it and franchise history. The opponent is not yet set. The stage is.
Sources: Reuters, Associated Press, and MLB.com.
