Dodgers-Brewers NLCS Game 1: Rematch of the Year, Pitching Duel of the Fall

The National League Championship Series begins Sunday night in Milwaukee, where the Brewers host the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 at 8:00 p.m. ET on FOX — a rematch of last year's NLCS with a trip to the World Series on the line.

The pitching matchup is the headline act. Milwaukee sends ace Jacob Misiorowski, the frontrunner for the National League Cy Young Award, to the mound. Misiorowski went 16-5 with a 1.80 ERA and an MLB-leading 252 strikeouts this season, and his triple-digit fastball is one of baseball's most feared weapons. The Dodgers counter with two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, who helped eliminate Atlanta in the NLDS. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is expected to start Game 2 for Los Angeles.

The Brewers own home-field advantage after a franchise-record 103 wins — the best record in baseball, three games better than the Dodgers' 100. Milwaukee beat San Diego in four games to reach the NLCS, powered by Andrew Vaughn (.500 in the postseason), Jackson Chourio (6 RBIs), and catcher William Contreras.

The Dodgers are chasing history: a third consecutive World Series championship, something only the greatest dynasties have ever achieved. Superstar Shohei Ohtani remains the game's biggest postseason attraction, and Max Muncy homered in three of four NLDS games against Atlanta.

But memories of last October cut both ways — the Dodgers swept the Brewers in last year's NLCS, and Milwaukee wants revenge. "Why wouldn't you want another shot at it?" said Brewers outfielder Garrett Mitchell.

The series follows a 2-3-2 format: Games 1 and 2 in Milwaukee (Sunday and Monday), Games 3-5 at Dodger Stadium (Oct. 14-16), and a return to Milwaukee for Games 6 and 7 if needed (Oct. 18-19). Every game airs on FOX or FS1, with streaming on FOX One and national radio coverage on ESPN Radio.

Los Angeles went 3-4 against Milwaukee in the regular season, but October is a new story — and the Dodgers have never lost a playoff series to the Brewers.

Sources: FOX Sports, Sportradar, Dodger Blue, SportsTalk Florida.