The Milwaukee Brewers completed a four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series on Thursday, securing a 6-4 victory that ended the Dodgers’ bid for a third consecutive league title. The Brewers’ win marks a significant turnaround from last year’s NLCS, when the Dodgers swept Milwaukee.
The decisive moment came in the bottom of the ninth inning when Brewers left fielder Jackson Chourio made a leaping catch near the warning track to secure the final out and clinch Milwaukee’s advancement to the World Series. The Brewers demonstrated resilience throughout the series, overcoming early deficits and responding quickly whenever the Dodgers took the lead.
Milwaukee trailed 4-0 after two innings in Thursday’s game but rallied to tie the score by the fifth inning and took the lead in the sixth. The Brewers became the first team to record six comeback victories in their first eight postseason games this year.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy praised his team’s resilience, saying, “They respond. We’ve talked about it all year long. You have a bad week, you have a bad game, you have a bad at-bat, you bounce back.” He acknowledged the quality of the Dodgers’ roster but emphasized that Milwaukee’s hungry lineup would not be denied.
Pitching was a key factor in the series outcome. The Dodgers’ starting rotation, noted as the most expensive in Major League Baseball history, struggled over 18 innings, allowing 16 hits and 13 runs for a 6.50 earned-run average. The bullpen also faltered, posting a 4.50 ERA in 16 innings. By contrast, Milwaukee's bullpen was exceptional, registering a 1.33 ERA over 40 2/3 innings during the postseason. Manager Murphy utilized his relievers 14 times in the NLCS; only twice did a reliever allow a run.
Dodgers infielder Max Muncy described the Brewers as “relentless” and commended their consistent execution. “Pitcher after pitcher came in and executed,” Muncy said. “When one of their pitchers faltered, the next guy came in and picked up the slack.”
Offensively, the Dodgers struggled to capitalize with runners in scoring position, going 4 for 27 and leaving 24 runners stranded during the NLCS. First baseman Freddie Freeman expressed the team’s disappointment. “We had our opportunities. We just didn’t get the job done,” he said. “We won two [titles]. We came up short on the third. There’s a lot of hurt at the end of the season.”
The Dodgers’ clubhouse remained closed for more than 35 minutes after the loss, allowing manager Dave Roberts and retiring veteran Miguel Rojas to address the team. Several players remained at their lockers, processing the unexpected outcome. Pitcher Tyler Glasnow recognized the Brewers’ superior performance despite the Dodgers’ sustained effort. “No one slacked off at all. Everyone just came in and worked hard. They just played a lot better than us,” Glasnow said.
With the postseason over for the Dodgers, questions loom about the team’s future. Half of the 26-man NLCS roster has expiring contracts, while key players—including Mookie Betts, Freeman, Muncy, Kiké Hernández, Teoscar Hernández, Blake Snell, and Glasnow—are 33 or older. The roster could undergo significant changes ahead of next season, which is not yet certain to begin on schedule.
Muncy acknowledged the difficulty of the moment but suggested the team will eventually look ahead. “There’ll come a time when we think about next year. But that’s not right at this moment,” he said. For now, the Dodgers face an extended offseason after falling short of their goal to become the first team to three-peat as National League champions.