The Milwaukee Brewers have taken a commanding 3-0 lead in the National League Championship Series. With a 6-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Brewers are one win away from their first World Series trip since 1982.
The outcome of the series, especially if Milwaukee closes it out, will reverberate into the upcoming labor dispute. The Brewers toppling the Dodgers in a postseason series a year after getting swept in embarrassing fashion. The Brewers scored only four runs in last year's NLCS, a number they've beaten twice already.
The takeaways from the series could have a lasting effect on baseball as a whole. On the surface, it shows that a small-market club can compete with MLB's biggest spender.
Here are two key takeaways from the Brewers Game 3 win.
Brewers Slug Their Way to Victory
The Brewers have relied on small-ball tactics throughout the first two games of the season. They've worked stubborn at-bats, utilized bunts, and ran the bases well against the Dodgers.
But in Game 3, they showed they can slug. Blake Snell entered that start without allowing a home run in 2026. That changed on his first pitch of the night, when Jackson Chourio took him deep.
The big moment came in the seventh inning. Trailing 2-1, Andrew Vaughn worked a leadoff walk to bring up Jake Bauers. Bauers and Garrett Mitchell slugged back-to-back homers to stun Snell and the Dodger Stadium crowd.
The home runs came at a critical time. The Dodgers had taken their fourth lead of the series when Will Smith doubled home two runs and put Los Angeles in position for a big inning. Thanks to Bauers, it marked the third time the Brewers immediately erased a deficit in the following half-inning.
For good measure, the Brewers returned to their small-ball ways to score their final two runs. Baserunning played a huge part, as a wild pitch scored their fifth run and a stolen base led to their sxith.
Corbin Burnes and Josh Hader Trades Take Center Stage
The Brewers have a process and religiously adhere to it. That's why they've been able to remain competitive despite trading some of their best players. It's also why they can afford to lose their top decision-maker and win 200 games in their last two seasons.
The fruits of the Corbin Burnes and Josh Hader trades culminated in their Game 3 win. The Brewers elected to trade Corbin Burnes ahead of his final control year before free agency. In that deal, they got left-hander DL Hall and infielder Joey Ortiz.
Those two players showed up big for Milwaukee in Game 3. DL Hall rescued the Brewers from a tough situation, stranding two runners in scoring position following an Abner Uribe meltdown. After Bauers and Mitchell regained the lead, he became the franchise's all-time postseason wins leader. Ortiz added an RBI single in the top of the ninth to give Milwaukee some breathing room.
The Hader trade also had an impact in this game. Robert Gasser is the only player left, but he made his presence known. The left-hander was outstanding, keeping the Dodgers off the scoreboard for five innings. It was the type of performance that makes a huge difference, especially when Los Angeles was heavily favored in the starting pitcher matchup.
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