Milwaukee’s Long Road Back to Baseball’s Biggest Stage

The Milwaukee Brewers are returning to the World Series after a 44-year absence. Their ticket to the Fall Classic came through a dramatic 6-4 comeback over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series, completing a four-game sweep of the two-time defending champions.

Milwaukee trailed by four runs at Dodger Stadium before its offence and bullpen turned the game around. The Brewers now have a week to prepare for Game 1 on October 23, which will be broadcast on FOX.

A Comeback That Ended Los Angeles’ Three-Peat Bid

The Dodgers entered the series with the experience, star power and recent championship success that made them the clear favourite. Instead, Milwaukee won every game and became the first team to reach the World Series by sweeping Los Angeles in the NLCS.

The decisive game changed when Garrett Mitchell launched a solo homer in the sixth inning to put the Brewers ahead. David Hamilton then delivered extra breathing room with a ninth-inning home run, giving Milwaukee a lead its bullpen protected to the finish.

• Milwaukee defeated Los Angeles 6-4 in Game 4.
• The Brewers swept the NLCS by a 4-0 series score.
• Milwaukee hit seven home runs in the series, while the Dodgers hit one.
• The victory secured the franchise’s first World Series appearance since 1982.

Jackson Chourio recorded the final out by racing toward the left-field warning track and catching a deep fly ball. Brewers broadcaster Jeff Levering then delivered an emotional pennant call, echoing the significance of a moment Milwaukee supporters had waited decades to see.

The 1982 Memory Finally Has Company

Before this season, the 1982 Brewers were the only Milwaukee club to reach the World Series. That team won the American League pennant but lost a seven-game championship series to the St. Louis Cardinals, leaving the franchise without a title.

Bob Uecker is often associated with the famous celebration from that postseason, although he was not the broadcaster who made the widely remembered call. Uecker had left the booth during the final innings to prepare the radio celebration from the clubhouse. His broadcast partner, Dwayne Mosley, announced Milwaukee’s pennant when Robin Yount fielded Rod Carew’s ground ball and threw to Cecil Cooper.

For more than four decades, that call represented the peak of Brewers baseball. Now, Levering’s words from Los Angeles provide a new defining memory for a generation of fans.

Yelich and Milwaukee Finally Clear the Dodgers

Christian Yelich has experienced several painful playoff defeats against Los Angeles. The Dodgers helped end Milwaukee’s 2018 NLCS run, defeated the Brewers again in 2020, and swept them in the 2025 NLCS.

The latest victory carried particular weight because Yelich is the club’s longest-tenured hitter. He joined Milwaukee in 2018 as the organization entered its current competitive era, and the team later named him captain. After the clincher, he emphasized that the new group had its own identity rather than being defined by last year’s disappointment.

That confidence proved justified. Milwaukee reversed the previous year’s result in emphatic fashion, sweeping the same opponent that had swept it one October earlier.

A Different Kind of Brewers Offence

The 1982 club became known as “Harvey’s Wallbangers” because of its powerful lineup and major-league-leading home-run total. The 2026 Brewers took a very different path during the regular season.

Milwaukee ranked near the bottom of baseball in homers but still finished second in total runs. The lineup relied on extended at-bats, pressure on opposing pitchers and repeated traffic on the bases. That patient approach made the Brewers’ sudden power display against Los Angeles even more unexpected.

Mitchell and Hamilton supplied the biggest swings in the clincher, while the team’s pitching staff protected leads and kept the Dodgers from mounting a late response. The result was a style of victory that combined the club’s regular-season identity with timely October power.

A Franchise Season Measured in Milestones

By the time Milwaukee completed the sweep, it had won 110 of 170 meaningful games in 2026. The total included 103 regular-season victories, three NLDS wins over San Diego and four victories against Los Angeles in the NLCS.

• The 103 regular-season wins established a franchise record and led the majors.
• The Brewers defeated a Padres club that had posted baseball’s best record after the All-Star break.
• Milwaukee became the first team in 103 years to lose a postseason series by sweep and sweep that same opponent the following October.
• The Brewers also became the first club to answer a postseason sweep with a sweep of its own.

Since Pat Murphy became manager three seasons ago, no team has produced a better winning percentage than Milwaukee. The club’s sustained success has turned what once seemed like a brief competitive window into one of the strongest stretches in franchise history.

From Rebuilding Doubts to a Pennant

The organization’s rise is especially striking when viewed against its earlier struggles. Mark Attanasio’s ownership group took control before the 2005 season, following Milwaukee’s 12th consecutive losing year. A .500 record in that first season felt like a major step forward, while the 2008 playoff berth ended a 26-year postseason drought.

There were setbacks after that breakthrough. A 2014 second-half collapse, a managerial change in 2015 and changes throughout the roster and front office made the club’s future uncertain. After a couple of early-May wins during that period, one frustrated fan even sent a cake congratulating the Brewers for no longer being the worst team in baseball. Some staff members ate it, despite the message behind it.

Assistant general manager Karl Mueller, who joined the organization in 2004 and was part of Ned Yost’s early analytics-minded scouting group, said the pennant was difficult to absorb. President of baseball operations Matt Arnold celebrated the achievement but immediately stressed the need to stay focused with four more wins still required for a championship.

Why the Number 44 Matters

After Milwaukee won Game 3, Attanasio called 92-year-old Bud Selig, the franchise founder, at 10:50 p.m. Central time. Selig was too excited to sleep and repeatedly described the team as remarkable.

Attanasio also reflected on the significance of the 44-year wait. Hank Aaron wore No. 44, including during his two seasons in Milwaukee, and hit the final home run of his 755-homer career 50 years ago. Aaron and Uecker later supported efforts to build Miller Park and keep major-league baseball in Wisconsin.

Several moments throughout the postseason added to the sense that Milwaukee’s run was unusual:

• Ty France’s fly ball clipped the roof before dropping into Chourio’s glove during NLDS Game 1.
• Garrett Mitchell made a crucial catch on a deep Manny Machado drive in the NLDS clincher.
• Jake Bauers, who had considered retiring in 2024, produced a breakout season at age 30 and delivered several important NLCS at-bats.
• Milwaukee won six comeback games during its first eight playoff contests.

Brewers Fans Followed the Team Across the Country

Milwaukee supporters filled Dodger Stadium and stayed after the final out to watch the players receive the Warren C. Giles Trophy. Some fans made extraordinary last-minute travel plans to be there.

Joe Stolarczyk watched Game 3 at Hog Creek Bar & Grill in Mosinee. Around 1 a.m., he decided to fly to Los Angeles. His brother David Stolarczyk and sister Mary Pilz joined him after friends failed to answer their calls. The group bought tickets while travelling toward a Minneapolis flight and reached seats behind home plate before batting practice ended. Joe had been living in Alaska during Milwaukee’s 1982 run.

Longtime friends Dave Wuest of Atlanta and Murray Williams of Orange County also made the trip. They have known each other since kindergarten and still remember the disappointment of Milwaukee’s 1982 Game 7 loss to St. Louis.

Yelich described the travelling crowd as electric. That support will be needed again when Milwaukee hosts Game 1 of the World Series, its first Fall Classic appearance since 1982 and its first as a National League pennant winner.