The difference this year is the beanies.
The Milwaukee Brewers made the same flight almost exactly one year ago: direct from Los Angeles to Milwaukee, after Game 4 of the NLCS, the weather warm when they departed and cold when they landed. Except, then, after being too easily swept by the Dodgers, the Brewers didn't have anything to protect from the cold wind.
In 2026, they did.
Boxes of winter hats with "WORLD SERIES" written across the top waited for everyone who stepped out of the team plane on Oct. 16 − the players, coaches, front office staff. Warm ears are the least these plucky, overlooked, doubted Brewers deserve after they pulled the sword from the stone and drove it through the heart of the opulent back-to-back World Series title winners.
Less than 24 hours before, Milwaukee went from trailing 4-0 in the second inning after a reviving three-run bomb from Dodgers generational superstar Shohei Ohtani, to clawing back with their trademark Brewers Ball and scoring seven unanswered runs to clinch a spot in the World Series for the first time since 1982.
Their return to Milwaukee was quite the moment at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport. One employee spent his day off standing in the cold, wearing a Jacob Misiorowski jersey under his orange vest, just to watch people walk one-by-one down a flight of stairs and onto a bus.
At 12:17 p.m. PDT, 47 minutes behind schedule, United Airlines flight 3783 left the gate at LAX. Another 46 minutes of taxiing later, it took off. A little after 6 p.m. CDT, eight buses made their way through the fence and onto the airport tarmac. A small gaggle of reporters followed suit. A few especially locked-in fans, understanding all these people could be here for only one thing, tried to talk their way past security to get as close as possible. One had a flag, the other a sign.
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At 6:44 p.m., with the sun below the horizon, the plane touched down in Milwaukee. The Brewers were back home. This time with hardware. The plane drove between two fire trucks who fired water cannons in celebration, a baptism of sorts. A sign past sins were forgiven, the team reborn.
Someone opened the cockpit window and waved a yellow Brewers flag.
First off the plane, at 6:52 p.m., was the flag-bearer and someone holding a trophy. Then came none other than Pat Murphy, winter hat in hand. Milwaukee's manager waved to the airport staff and flashing cameras before shaking one employee's hand. After him came owner Mark Attanasio.
The train continued with the players. A cavalcade of Milwaukee heroes.
Mr. 105-mph-fastball. The Captain. The beyond-his-years 22-year-old Venezuelan October inevitability. The Swiss Army knife reliever in goggles. The NLCS MVP. Everyone in between, greeting the gatherers with smiles and waves.
By 7 p.m., the loaded buses began driving off. Sirens rang out. The line of vehicles − bus, police car, bus, police car, etc. − pulled onto the road, back to American Family Field, where the Milwaukee Brewers will get in their cars and go home to rest.
In seven days, they will take the field again. For Game of 1 the Word Series.
Jack Albright covers West Allis, Greenfield, Greendale, Hales Corners and West Milwaukee. He can be reached at JAlbright@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: The Brewers return to Milwaukee after making history in Los Angeles
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