The Milwaukee Brewers are going to the World Series for the first time in 44 years. A 6-4 win in Game 4 of the NLCS on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium completed a stunning four-game sweep of the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers, clinching the National League pennant with a 6-4 win in Game 4. The Brewers — famously dubbed Harvey’s Wallbangers when they last reached the Fall Classic in 1982 — will open the World Series on Friday, October 23 in Milwaukee against the winner of the ALCS.
First baseman Jake Bauers was named NLCS MVP after anchoring the offense throughout the series. He finished 4-for-14 with a home run and a team-high six RBIs, delivering a ground-rule double in the fourth inning of Game 4 that drove in Milwaukee’s first two runs, then the game-tying walk in the fifth. His 11-pitch at-bat against Blake Snell in Game 3 — ending in a go-ahead two-run homer — was described as an “11-pitch nightmare.” Bauers, who nearly quit the game after bouncing between five clubs, had a career year with 26 home runs and 86 RBIs.
A sweep with history on both sides
Milwaukee became the first major league club to finish a postseason sweep after being swept by that same opponent in the previous postseason — the Dodgers took all four NLCS games against the Brewers last year. They are also the first team to sweep a best-of-seven series in which they trailed in every game, erasing a four-run deficit in the clincher. “They may have a bunch of Hall of Famers, but we’ve got a bunch of gamers — and the gamers won this week,” manager Pat Murphy said. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was gracious: “Those guys played flawless. You’ve got to sometimes tip your cap.”
The three-peat dies
The Dodgers’ goal of a three-peat — not done since the Yankees from 1998-2000 and never by a National League team — died with an anemic offense and injuries to Shohei Ohtani and others. Should the Guardians prevail in the ALCS, the World Series would pit a Cleveland franchise without a title since 1948 against a Milwaukee club that has never won one. Should the Rays prevail, it would be the first World Series since 1980 in which neither team has previously won.
