The Los Angeles Dodgers' quest for a three-peat has come to an end.
The Milwaukee Brewers swept the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series, ending their bid for history.
The Dodgers had all the tools to win another World Series and etch their names in MLB lore. Instead, the Brewers dominated the Dodgers to take the series and clinch their first World Series appearance since 1982.
After being swept by the Dodgers in the 2025 NLCS, the Brewers returned the favor in 2026. And after the game, Brewers manager Pat Murphy sent a harsh message to the Dodgers while accepting the NL championship trophy on the field.
"They may have a bunch of Hall of Famers," Murphy said on the FOX broadcast, "but we have a bunch of gamers. And the gamers won this week.
After the celebrations, Murphy had nothing but respect for the Dodgers organization.
"I love the Dodgers. I love their players. They've got legendary players. But we came in with a group that would not be denied. They were hungry, very hungry," Murphy said. "I respect Dave [Roberts]. I respect Andrew [Friedman]. I respect the whole organization, from top to bottom, and their history. But we were hungry, and as long as it's an even playing field, we're going to come in and give it our best shot to win. That's exactly what we did."
Brewers Dominated the Dodgers From Start to Finish in NLCS
Los Angeles was outplayed in every possible way this series.
The Brewers' hitting, starting pitching and bullpen were all spectacular. Milwaukee did everything right, winning every battle and leading in hits, home runs and strikeouts.
As Murphy said just a few days ago, they would not be denied — and they were not.
The big bad Dodgers were non-existent this series, and Game 4 was more of the same. Los Angeles went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position in Game 4, and 4-for-27 in the series altogether.
The Dodgers repeatedly squandered chances to tie the game or take the lead after giving up a 4-0 lead in the later innings of Game 4.
Los Angeles' offense was never up to par throughout these playoffs. The Dodgers' Game 4 loss was their seventh straight game with fewer than five runs scored, which is their longest streak since June 2018.
The Dodgers are the fifth reigning World Series champions to be swept in a best-of-seven series, and the first since the Athletics against the Reds in the 1990 World Series.
Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on X/Twitter and Facebook for the latest news.
Add us as a preferred source on Google