Brewers Sweep Dodgers 6-4, Reach First World Series in 44 Years
MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Brewers are going to the World Series for the first time in 44 years.
Garrett Mitchell hit a go-ahead home run off Tanner Scott in the sixth inning, the bullpen slammed the door late, and the Brewers rallied past the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-4 on Thursday in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series, completing a four-game sweep at Dodger Stadium.
The Brewers are the second franchise to capture both the American League and National League pennants, joining the Houston Astros. Their only previous World Series appearance came in 1982 as an American League club, when they fell to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games.
The Dodgers, the two-time defending World Series champions, held a lead in all four games of the series. Each time, the Brewers came fighting back.
On Thursday, Shohei Ohtani's first home run since Aug. 18 — a three-run blast in the second inning — gave Los Angeles a 4-0 early lead. Ohtani, playing through right arm and left knee injuries, had moved up to the leadoff spot after an encouraging stretch of at-bats.
Jake Bauers started Milwaukee's comeback with a two-run double in the fourth and tied the game with a bases-loaded walk in the fifth. Bauers earned NLCS MVP honors for his series-long performance.
With the score tied 4-all, Mitchell fell behind 0-2 before working a full count, then launched a 409-foot drive to center field — the first homer of his career on an 0-2 count — to give Milwaukee its first lead. No. 9 hitter David Hamilton added a two-out solo shot off Edwin Díaz in the ninth for a two-run cushion.
Milwaukee's relievers shut down the Dodgers over the final seven innings. JoJo Romero struck out Max Muncy with Kyle Tucker at third to end the sixth. Aaron Ashby worked the final three innings for a save, striking out Ohtani swinging and getting Mookie Betts to ground out with Andy Pages at third in the seventh.
"I don't know much about baseball history," said Brewers second baseman Brice Turang, "but now that I'm a part of it, learning the history of and how much it would mean to the city… yeah, it would mean a lot."
The sweep was a role reversal from a year ago, when the Dodgers swept the Brewers out of the NLCS. It is just the 10th time a team has swept the league championship series since it moved to a seven-game format in 1985.
The Brewers, baseball's smallest-market team, will open the World Series at home on Oct. 23 against the winner of the American League Championship Series between the Cleveland Guardians and Tampa Bay Rays. The Guardians hold a 2-1 lead in that series.
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