The Milwaukee Brewers secured their first National League pennant since 1982 by sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series (NLCS), setting the stage for a World Series showdown starting Friday at the ballpark formerly known as Miller Park. The Brewers will face the winner of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cleveland Guardians.
Milwaukee’s postseason success marks a dramatic turnaround that has confounded many baseball analysts and fans who expected the Brewers to falter after losing key players like pitcher Freddy Peralta and third baseman Caleb Durbin before the season. Instead, the Brewers have posted an impressive 7-1 record in the playoffs, outperforming expectations and reigniting enthusiasm among their fanbase.
The Brewers’ run has also cast a shadow over their division rivals, the Chicago Cubs, who finished 14 games behind Milwaukee this season. Cubs President Jed Hoyer and manager Craig Counsell, who was controversially hired away from the Brewers by the Cubs in 2023 in the league’s most lucrative managerial deal, have struggled to close the gap. The Cubs lost both of their wild-card games this year, while Milwaukee continues to advance.
The narrative of small-market success versus big-market spending is underscored by recent personnel shifts. New York Mets owner Steve Cohen brought in Brewers President David Stearns in 2023 with hopes that Stearns’ analytical approach and a high payroll would return the team to postseason contention. However, the Mets failed to make the playoffs in 2024 and remained out of contention this season, despite costly signings including Juan Soto and Bo Bichette. Stearns’ tenure in New York has starkly contrasted with the Brewers’ more measured spending strategy that has delivered tangible results.
Milwaukee’s achievement also challenges calls from baseball owners for the introduction of a salary cap. Owners have argued for restrictions to enable smaller-market teams to compete with franchises like the Dodgers, who were aiming for a third consecutive title. Instead, fans will see a World Series featuring a team built on smart decision-making and resourceful management rather than sheer payroll.
Since their 1982 World Series appearance, when they fell to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games, the Brewers have experienced long postseason droughts and franchise changes, including a league switch from the American League to the National League in 1998 under then-owner and commissioner Bud Selig. The team struggled to maintain consistent playoff appearances for decades until recent years, when the leadership tandem of Stearns and Counsell, followed by general manager Matt Arnold and manager Pat Murphy, brought Milwaukee back to prominence.
Despite the departure of beloved manager Counsell to the Cubs, which some fans saw as a betrayal, the Brewers have continued to thrive, overcoming past disappointments like the 2018 NLCS loss to the Dodgers and controversial trades such as the mid-season deal sending closer Josh Hader to the San Diego Padres in 2022 while leading their division.
With this World Series appearance, Brewers fans are hopeful that decades of frustration will be rewarded. After nearly 45 years since their last championship series, Milwaukee’s return to the World Series offers an invigorating moment for the franchise and its supporters.