The Milwaukee Brewers are headed to the 2026 World Series after sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series. The franchise, which has never won an MLB title, will make its first appearance in the Fall Classic since 1982.
Thursday’s result, a 6-4 Brewers victory in Game 4, ended the Dodgers’ hopes of dynasty status. Los Angeles entered the postseason as the two-time defending champion, and a third straight title would have put it in rare air — the New York Yankees and Oakland Athletics are the only other teams to have accomplished such a feat.
“We’re just happy for our fans and everyone that’s been a part of this organization and stuck with us over the years,” Brewers star Christian Yelich said on the Fox broadcast after the game. “We’ve been so close to this point time and time again. To finally break through is a credit to our guys, to our team. They stuck together and fought. We came in early tonight and we were like, ‘It’s going to be a great story when we win this.’ Stay together and start progressing.” And that’s exactly what they did.
The Dodgers took a 4-0 lead into the second inning Thursday. Kyle Tucker scored on an RBI single from Andy Pages before superstar Shohei Ohtani hit a three-run homer 428 feet into the stands in right-center field. But the Brewers didn’t want to go away.
Jake Bauers hit a double in the fourth inning, scoring William Contreras and Brice Turang to make it 4-2. In the fifth, David Hamilton singled to center, scoring Sal Frelick. Later in the inning, Dodgers reliever Alex Vesia walked in the tying run (credited to starter Tyler Glasnow for initially loading the bases).
The Brewers took a 5-4 lead on Garrett Mitchell’s solo homer in the sixth inning and added an insurance run in the ninth on Hamilton’s bomb.
“It’s absolutely surreal,” Mitchell said on the Fox broadcast after the game. “I don’t really have the words. I’m so proud of our team. To go down four (runs) really early, and you’re talking about the battle-tested Brewers, man. We went down early, and the confidence in that dugout just got stronger and stronger, and we fought and came back here. It was amazing.”
Milwaukee’s bullpen and timely hitting were key in allowing the Brewers to take a 3-0 lead in the NLCS. In Game 1, star Jacob Misiorowski allowed one run in 4.1 innings, but had incredible help when the Brewers bullpen came in. Four pitchers – DL Hall, Abner Uribe, Aaron Ashby and Trevor Megill – combined to give up two hits and no runs to preserve a 2-1 victory.
The relievers once again helped Milwaukee in Game 2 after starter Logan Henderson struggled early. Dustin May, JoJo Romero, Uribe and Ashby combined to retire the final 15 Dodgers batters in order in a 7-4 victory.
In Game 3, debutant Robert Gasser came to Dodger Stadium and pitched five innings of scoreless baseball. Back-to-back home runs by Jake Bauers and Garrett Mitchell in the seventh inning gave the Brewers a lead they would not relinquish.
The Brewers were the best team in baseball this season, leading the MLB with 103 wins. In 162 games, they had the best ERA in the National League (3.23) and cut that to just 1.74 in the postseason.
Although Milwaukee doesn’t possess the star power of the Dodgers, it does have the National League Cy Young favorite in Misiorowski and a balanced lineup of hitters. Catcher William Contreras has been on fire in the postseason, with three homers, four walks and five RBIs while hitting .370. Outfielder Jackson Chourio leads the team with seven home runs.
The Dodgers “may have a group of Hall of Famers, but we have a group of players,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said after the victory. “And the players won this week.”
The Brewers will face the winner of the ALCS — the Cleveland Guardians lead the Tampa Bay Rays 2-1 in the series — in the World Series, which begins next Friday in Milwaukee.
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