UPDATE: The Milwaukee Brewers are going to the World Series for the first time since 1982, completing a stunning four-game sweep of the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.
Garrett Mitchell hit a go-ahead home run off Dodgers reliever Tanner Scott in the sixth inning, and Milwaukee’s bullpen shut the door as the Brewers rallied for a 6-4 victory in Game 4 on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.
Brewers Erase a Four-Run Deficit
The Dodgers appeared to be headed for a series-extending win after Shohei Ohtani, in a slump this postseason, launched a 428-foot three-run homer off Dustin May in the second inning for a 4-0 lead. It was Ohtani’s first home run of the postseason.
Milwaukee answered without a big blast at first. William Contreras and Jake Bauers hit back-to-back ground-rule doubles during the comeback, and Mitchell then put the Brewers in front for good in the sixth. The Boston Globe reports it was a 409-foot leadoff drive to center, the first homer of his career on an 0-2 count. Ninth-place hitter David Hamilton, who hit just four homers in the regular season, added a two-out solo shot off Edwin Díaz in the ninth to give Milwaukee a two-run cushion. The bullpen then turned away multiple Dodgers threats with the potential tying run on base.
Mitchell also homered in Milwaukee’s 6-2 win in Game 3 on Wednesday. Over the four games, the Brewers outhomered the powerful Dodgers 7-1.
A Franchise First, and Sweet Revenge
The pennant is the first in the National League for the Brewers, who were still in the American League when they last reached the World Series in 1982 and lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. Milwaukee had been the only one of the 15 current NL franchises that had never won a pennant, ESPN reports. The team led Major League Baseball with 103 regular-season wins and opened the series with a 2-1 victory in Game 1 on a Brice Turang homer.
The sweep also settles a score. The Dodgers swept the Brewers in last year’s NLCS on their way to a title, and beat them in the 2018 NLCS. Milwaukee became the first major league club to complete a postseason sweep after being swept by the same opponent the previous postseason. Manager Pat Murphy said the Dodgers have Hall of Famers, but his team is “a bunch of gamers.”
The Dodgers’ Three-Peat Ends
For Los Angeles, the loss ends a bid to become the first National League team to win three straight World Series titles. Yahoo Sports reports that the Dodgers were swept for only the second time in franchise history, in front of a crowd of 49,104 at Dodger Stadium. The Brewers, who play in baseball’s smallest market, now sit four wins from a first championship and from leaving the list of five active franchises that have never won a World Series.
Watch the Brewers Celebrate
Highlights and reaction from the series are available on MLB’s official YouTube channel, and ESPN has a full Game 4 takeaways rundown.
Who Will Milwaukee Face?
The Brewers will meet the winner of the American League Championship Series between the Cleveland Guardians and the Tampa Bay Rays, where Cleveland led 2-1 at last report, according to NBC News. The World Series opens next Friday in Milwaukee, and ESPN lists the Brewers as clear favorites to win it all.
What to Watch Next
- The outcome of the ALCS between Cleveland and Tampa Bay.
- Milwaukee’s rotation and bullpen plans for Game 1 at home.
- Whether the Brewers can finally win the franchise’s first World Series title.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available. Sources: ABC7 Los Angeles, ESPN, Yahoo Sports, NBC News, Boston Globe, The Associated Press.