After 44 years, the Milwaukee Brewers are going back to the World Series. They swept the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers out of the playoffs Thursday night, coming back from four runs down to win Game 4 of the National League Championship Series 6-4 at Dodger Stadium.
“We weren’t coming in to play patty-cake,” manager Pat Murphy said. “We were hungry,” the AP reported. Milwaukee, which led the majors with 103 wins, hosts the World Series opener on Oct. 23 against Cleveland or Tampa Bay.
How did the Brewers beat the Dodgers in Game 4?
They fell behind 4-0 in the second inning, helped by Shohei Ohtani’s first homer of the postseason. Then they chipped away. With the score tied 4-4 leading off the sixth, Garrett Mitchell fell behind 0-2 to Tanner Scott, worked the count full and launched a 409-foot homer to center for Milwaukee’s first lead of the night. No. 9 hitter David Hamilton, who hit four homers all regular season, added a two-out solo shot off Edwin Díaz in the ninth. Aaron Ashby pitched three scoreless innings for the save.
“We got down early tonight and we were like, it’s going to be a great story,” captain Christian Yelich said. Jake Bauers was named NLCS MVP.
When was the Brewers’ last World Series?
1982, when the Brewers were still in the American League. They lost that series to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games and have never won a title. This is their first National League pennant. The sweep also came with some sweet revenge: the Dodgers swept the Brewers in last year’s NLCS, and Milwaukee is the first team ever to sweep a postseason opponent that swept it the year before. It’s also the first team to sweep a best-of-seven series after trailing in every game.
What happened to the Dodgers?
Their bid to become the first National League team ever to win three straight titles ended with a quiet offense and injuries to Ohtani and other veterans. “I’m not used to those consolation speeches,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Those guys played flawless. You’ve got to sometimes tip your cap.”
The BeezLoop Take
This is the kind of story baseball needs. A small-market team with no superstar payroll beat the sport’s richest roster, four games in a row, after trailing in every one of them. “They may have a bunch of Hall of Famers, but we’ve got a bunch of gamers,” Murphy said, and for one week he was right.
Milwaukee waited 44 years, and the city gets to host its first World Series game since Robin Yount and Paul Molitor. Whoever comes out of the American League will be facing a team that doesn’t seem to know it’s supposed to lose.
The open question: can a young team built on bullpen and comebacks finish the job against Cleveland or Tampa Bay?
Sources: Associated Press via WNDU · NBC News · ESPN MLB (video)
