What a difference a year makes for the Milwaukee Brewers. Last October, the Los Angeles Dodgers swept the Brewers in the National League Championship Series. The two teams met again in the same round 12 months later, and the results couldn’t have been more different.
Looking to win a third straight World Series, the Dodgers, who eliminated the Atlanta Braves in four games in the NL Division Series last week, were swept by Milwaukee, who punched their first ticket in the World Series since 1982.
The Brewers completed the sweep in a way they have for most of the series, rallying from a deficit. Milwaukee trailed 4-0 early, but scored the final six runs for a series-clinching 6-4 victory. After the game, Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts didn’t mince words and praised Milwaukee and manager Pat Murphy.
Los Angeles Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts Showers Milwaukee Brewers With Praise
Is it surprising that the Brewers eliminated the Dodgers? It shouldn’t. Milwaukee won 103 games in the regular season and Los Angeles won 100. They were the only two 100-win teams in MLB. However, the only question was whether the Brewers could get the job done in the postseason.
As it turns, they did. They were better in all areas of the game than the Dodgers. That didn’t go lost on Roberts.
“At the end of the day, we got beat,” said Roberts, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. “We got outplayed in all facets. Those guys played flawless — defensively, they pitched better than we did, they hit better than we did, they slugged more than we did. You’ve got to sometimes just tip your cap.”
If there was one game that summed up the series, it’s Game 4 Thursday night at Dodger Stadium. Los Angeles scored four runs in the bottom of the second inning. Andy Pages opened the scoring with an RBI single. Later in the inning, Shohei Ohtani hit a three-run home run for a 4-0 lead.
Milwaukee had the Dodgers right where they wanted them.
The Brewers tied the game with two runs in the fourth and fifth innings before a solo home runs from Garrett Mitchell in the sixth and David Hamilton in the ninth turned out to be the difference. Aaron Ashby recorded a nine-out save to send Milwaukee to the World Series.
Milwaukee Brewers Have Home-Field Advantage in World Series
Milwaukee gets a week off before the World Series begins on Oct. 23 at home. They’ll host either the Tampa Bay Rays or Cleveland Guardians. A 3-2 win on Thursday afternoon gave Cleveland a 2-1 series lead.
Whoever shows up to American Family Field late next week will be the underdog. Milwaukee is 7-1 in the playoffs this season, taking down the San Diego Padres and Dodgers. The Brewers will set up their rotation the way Murphy wants it, but will seven days off hurt Milwaukee?
“We were playing with that chip on our shoulder,” said Ashby, per Cassavell. “We came back this year and those guys played their tails off. I would die for any of these dudes, man.”
The Brewers were the best team in MLB during the regular season, and they are four wins away from being the best team in the playoffs. That chip on the shoulder is only getting bigger.
Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts Showers Milwaukee Brewers With Praise After NLCS Sweep