Brewers Rally From Four Runs Down to Sweep Dodgers, Reach First World Series Since 1982 and End Three-Peat Bid

LOS ANGELES — Garrett Mitchell hit a go-ahead home run in the sixth inning, David Hamilton added a ninth-inning insurance shot, and the Milwaukee Brewers rallied from a four-run deficit to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-4 on Thursday night, completing a four-game sweep in the National League Championship Series and earning their first trip to the World Series since 1982.

The victory ended the two-time defending champion Dodgers' bid to become the first team to win three straight World Series titles since the New York Yankees from 1998 to 2000.

It also completed a stunning reversal from a year ago, when the Dodgers swept the Brewers in the NLCS. Milwaukee became the first team in Major League Baseball history to sweep the same team that had eliminated it with a sweep the previous postseason.

Ohtani homer gives Dodgers early lead

The Dodgers jumped ahead early. Shohei Ohtani hit his first home run of the postseason as part of a four-run second inning that gave Los Angeles a 4-0 lead and briefly revived hopes of extending the series.

The homer was a rare bright spot for the three-time MVP, who had struggled throughout the playoffs while dealing with right biceps and left knee injuries.

Brewers chip away

Milwaukee answered steadily. In the fourth inning, William Contreras and Jake Bauers hit back-to-back doubles to cut the deficit to 4-2.

In the fifth, Sal Frelick walked, stole second and scored on Hamilton's RBI single. That ended the night for Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow after 4 1/3 innings. A few batters later, Bauers drew a bases-loaded walk to tie the game at 4.

Mitchell puts Milwaukee ahead

Mitchell then gave the Brewers the lead for good, hitting a solo homer off reliever Tanner Scott in the sixth inning.

Hamilton, the No. 9 hitter who hit just four home runs during the regular season, added a two-out solo shot off Edwin Díaz in the ninth to give Milwaukee a two-run cushion.

Bullpen slams the door

Milwaukee's bullpen, a strength throughout the series, held off several Dodgers threats. Los Angeles had a runner on third base in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings but could not bring home the tying run.

In the sixth, JoJo Romero struck out Max Muncy with Kyle Tucker on third to end the inning. Ohtani struck out in the seventh.

In the ninth, Aaron Ashby got Kiké Hernández to line out to Jackson Chourio in left field for the final out, setting off a celebration among Brewers players and the visiting fans at Dodger Stadium.

"The Brewers win the pennant!" Brewers radio broadcaster Jeff Levering said on the call.

Bauers named MVP

Bauers was named NLCS MVP after a series filled with key moments. The first baseman drove in a team-high six runs, including a go-ahead two-run homer in Game 3 and the tying bases-loaded walk in Game 4.

Milwaukee's power surprised many observers. The Brewers out-homered the Dodgers 7-1 in the series.

A long wait ends

The Brewers reached their only previous World Series in 1982, when they played in the American League and lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. The franchise moved to the National League in 1998 and had never won the NL pennant until Thursday.

Milwaukee, which won 103 games in the regular season, had fallen to the Dodgers in the postseason in 2018, 2020 and 2025.

The Brewers will face either the Cleveland Guardians or the Tampa Bay Rays as they pursue the first World Series title in franchise history.

Dodgers face questions

For the Dodgers, the sweep raises questions about the state of their star-studded roster. The team struggled to score throughout the series, with Ohtani, Will Smith and Mookie Betts slumping at the plate.

Los Angeles had won back-to-back championships and entered the postseason as one of the favorites to win again.

How the series unfolded

Milwaukee won Game 1 2-1 behind a dominant bullpen performance and took Game 2 7-4 at home. In Game 3 in Los Angeles, Chourio homered on the first pitch of the game, and Bauers and Mitchell hit back-to-back homers in a 6-2 win.

The Dodgers took an early lead in Game 4 but could not hold it, as the Brewers again answered with timely hitting and shutdown relief pitching.

The Brewers will wait to learn their World Series opponent from the American League Championship Series between the Guardians and Rays.

For Milwaukee fans, who have waited 44 years for another World Series, the celebration has already begun.