It’s been a long time coming on the shores of Lake Michigan. Thursday night saw the Milwaukee Brewers sweep the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series with a 6-4 Game 4 victory. It is the Brew Crew’s first National League pennant, and their first trip to the World Series since 1982, when they were still in the American League East. The four-game sweep will afford manager Pat Murphy‘s club plenty of rest as they await either the Cleveland Guardians or the Tampa Bay Rays in the Fall Classic.
Brewers Sweep Dodgers to Advance to World Series
After being swept by the Dodgers in last year’s NLCS, the Brewers entered this series on a mission. Jumping out to a 2-0 series lead in Milwaukee, the Crew headed west and managed a comeback win in Game 3, partly thanks to some questionable decisions from Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
With a chance to complete the sweep, Game 4 did not start out great for Milwaukee. In the second inning, Dustin May took the hill for the Brewers in relief of opener Shane Drohan. Andy Pages broke the ice for the Dodgers with an RBI single, and Shohei Ohtani awoke from his lengthy slump with a no-doubt three-run homer. Early on, it was looking like the Dodgers would force a Game 5, but the Brewers had other ideas.
A short time after, Milwaukee began chipping away at the deficit. In the top of the fourth, eventual series MVP Jake Bauers plated the Brewers’ first two runs with a ground-rule double.
Another JB masterclass cuts the deficit in half https://t.co/rhnus6jdtx
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) October 16, 2026
In the fifth, David Hamilton‘s RBI single cut the Dodgers’ lead to one. Bauers then drew a bases-loaded walk from reliever Alex Vesia to tie the game 4-4. Thanks to some clutch power, the Brewers would take the lead for good. Garrett Mitchell hit a solo shot in the sixth to give them a 5-4 lead.
GARRETT MITCHELL WILL NOT BE DENIED https://t.co/pTKyUKW7kM
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) October 16, 2026
After the Brewers bullpen held the fort in the late innings, David Hamilton added some insurance with a solo shot of his own in the ninth. Aaron Ashby nailed down a three-inning save to complete the Brewers sweep.
YOUR MILWAUKEE BREWERS ARE HEADING TO THE WORLD SERIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! https://t.co/9wrVOIy54p
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) October 16, 2026
The Last Word
While it was a complete team effort by the Brewers in this NLCS, Bauers certainly earned his MVP hardware. Across the four games, he hit .286 (4-for-14) with a team-high six RBI, including his huge double on Thursday to jump-start the comeback victory.
The Brewers completely flipped the script from last year, becoming the first team in MLB history to sweep a postseason series against a team that had swept them the prior postseason. Ending the Dodgers’ chances of a three-peat has to give the team with the best record in baseball for most of the year tons of confidence heading into the World Series. No matter who they face, they will have home-field advantage and will almost certainly be the favorites.
Somewhere, Hall of Fame Brewers broadcaster Bob Uecker must be smiling. This run to the World Series has been years in the making. The Brewers have been a powerhouse in the NL Central for several years now, but kept running into October disappointment. No more. Sweeping the two-time defending champs gives Milwaukee its greatest baseball moment in decades, and there is no doubt that the Brewers winning their first World Series title would be great for baseball.
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Main Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images