Brewers sweep Dodgers to reach first World Series since 1982; Game 1 on October 23

The Milwaukee Brewers are going to the World Series for the first time since 1982. They beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-4 in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series on Thursday, October 15, 2026, completing a 4-0 sweep and ending the Dodgers' attempt to win a third straight title. The Dodgers led 4-0 early in the game, but a sixth-inning home run by Garrett Mitchell gave Milwaukee its first lead of the night, and David Hamilton added a two-out solo home run in the ninth. For anyone asking when is the World Series: Game 1 is set for Friday, October 23, in Milwaukee.

This is a turnaround few expected. The Dodgers came into the series as the two-time reigning champions and one of the most expensive teams in baseball, and they had swept Milwaukee in the previous postseason. According to Major League Baseball, the Brewers became the first club to complete a postseason sweep of the same opponent that had swept them in the previous postseason. Overturning a four-run deficit in the clinching game also tied the largest comeback to win a League Championship Series in the sport's history, according to the league.

For the Brewers, the pennant ends a long wait. The franchise's only previous World Series came in 1982, when Milwaukee played in the American League and lost to the St. Louis Cardinals. Since then, 44 seasons have passed without a pennant. This year's team did not overpower the Dodgers with famous names; it won with a deep bullpen, timely hitting and players who delivered in single moments.

Manager Pat Murphy has made that point himself. He described his players as gamers who do not back down from big moments, even if they lack the famous names the Dodgers have. Hamilton's home run showed it: a player with only four regular-season home runs produced the run that put the game out of reach against Díaz, one of the best-known closers in the game.

For the Dodgers, the sweep is a painful end. Their bid for a third straight title is over, and the defeat will raise questions about a roster that spent heavily but could not hit in the series until it was nearly too late. Ohtani's home run in Game 4 was the team's first of the entire postseason.

Short-term: The Brewers get a week of rest before the World Series begins in Milwaukee on October 23. Their opponent will be the winner of the American League Championship Series between the Cleveland Guardians and the Tampa Bay Rays, which was still being played when the National League series ended.

Long-term: A Brewers title would be the first in the franchise's history. Even without one, the pennant strengthens the argument that a team without the biggest payroll can beat the sport's richest clubs in a short series. For the Dodgers, the off-season will bring pressure to rebuild a bullpen that let the deciding game slip.

Who is affected: Brewers players and fans, who have waited 44 years for a pennant; the Dodgers organisation and its supporters; the Guardians or Rays, who will face a confident Milwaukee side; and broadcasters and viewers worldwide, including the growing baseball audience that follows the sport through streaming services from countries such as India.

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