Brewers sweep the two-time champion Dodgers to reach their first World Series since 1982
A lockdown bullpen and repeated comebacks ended Los Angeles' bid for a three-peat. Milwaukee now waits for the winner of the Rays–Guardians ALCS.
At a glance
- Milwaukee completed a 4–0 NLCS sweep with a Game 4 win over the Dodgers on Thursday, October 15.
- It is the Brewers' first World Series trip since 1982; the franchise has never won the title.
- The result ends the Dodgers' attempt at three straight World Series championships.
- Milwaukee will face the winner of the ALCS between the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians.
One year after being swept out of the playoffs by the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Milwaukee Brewers returned the favour in the most emphatic way possible. Milwaukee beat the Dodgers in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series on Thursday to complete a four-game sweep and reach the World Series for the first time since 1982.
Revenge for 2025
The two clubs were baseball's only 100-win teams in 2026 and met in the NLCS for the second year running. Last October the Dodgers swept Milwaukee, outscoring them 15–4 on the way to a second straight title. This time, NPR reported, a lockdown bullpen and a habit of coming from behind carried the Brewers.
The tone was set in Game 1 in Milwaukee, where Brice Turang homered and the bullpen held the Dodgers' powerful lineup to a single run in a 2–1 win. After that opener, sportsbooks made Milwaukee World Series favourites for the first time all season.
End of a three-peat bid
The Dodgers were chasing a rare third consecutive championship, a feat achieved by only a handful of franchises. Instead, the defending champions go home without winning a game in the series.
For Milwaukee, the moment carries decades of weight. The Brewers' only previous World Series came in 1982, when they were an American League club and lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. They have never won it all.
Waiting on the American League
The Brewers now wait for the American League champion. The top-seeded Tampa Bay Rays and the Cleveland Guardians were level at 1–1 after Game 2 of the ALCS, when Freddy Peralta threw six innings of four-hit ball and Liam Hicks drove in two runs in a 3–1 Rays win. Cleveland reached the ALCS by rallying from 0–2 down against the Chicago White Sox, while the Rays swept the New York Yankees.
Questions people are asking
When did the Brewers last play in the World Series?
In 1982, when they were still an American League team. They lost that series in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Who will the Brewers face in the 2026 World Series?
The winner of the American League Championship Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cleveland Guardians, which was level at 1–1 after Game 2.
How we verified this story
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