Brewers sweep Dodgers in NLCS, advance to 1st World Series in 44 years

LOS ANGELES -- For the first time since 1982, the Milwaukee Brewers are headed to the World Series. Garrett Mitchell hammered a go-ahead sixth-inning solo homer off Dodgers lefty Tanner Scott as Milwaukee capped a rally from a four-run deficit against the Dodgers on Thursday. Milwaukee beat the Dodgers 6-4, completing a National League Championship Series sweep of the two-time defending champs. The next stop for Milwaukee is one it hasn't made since the heyday of Robin Yount, Paul Molitor and Cecil Cooper -- the Fall Classic. In was just under a year ago that the roles were reversed and the Dodgers swept Milwaukee en route to a championship. This marks the first time in postseason history that a team has swept an opponent that sept them in the preceding season. The win gives the Brewers their first-ever National League pennant, as Milwaukee was still a member of the American League when they went to their only previous World Series forty-four years ago. The Brewers were the only one of the 15 current NL franchises that had never won a pennant. The Brewers checked that box and now an even bigger one looms: Milwaukee will have a shot to leave the group of five active MLB franchises without a championship. It looked like the Brewers' long wait would endure for at least another day early in the contest when slumping Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani launched a 428-foot three-run homer off righty Dustin May, giving a 4-0 lead. But these Brewers, among other things, are relentless. Milwaukee plated four runs to tie the contest, all charted to Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow who was dominant during a perfect first trip through the Milwaukee lineup. There were no big blasts in the Brewers' rally. William Contreras and Jake Bauers stroked back-to-back ground-rule doubles. There were five walks and two stolen bases. It was, in other words, precisely the style of play that allowed the Brewers to roll up a franchise-record 103 wins during the regular season. However, the Brewers showed that when needed, they can muscle up when they need to, outhomering the powerful Dodgers 7-1 over the four games. Once Milwaukee has seized the lead, manager Pat Murphy was able to unleash a high-leverage bullpen contingent that has been all but impenetrable during the Brewers' 7-1 runs through the National League bracket. David Hamilton's solo homer in the ninth off Edwin Diaz gave Milwaukee a late insurance run. JoJo Romero threw two scoreless innings and Aaron Ashby worked out jams in the seventh and eighth on his way to a three-inning save. Jackson Chourio made a fine leaping grab on an Enrique Hernandez fly ball for the final out. The Brewers raced from the bullpen, dugout and all the positions on the field to gather in a euphoric group hug 44 years in the making. With that, the Brewers ended a four-decade pennant drought and exorcised the demons stemming from NLCS losses to the dynastic Dodgers in 2018 and last season. And with that, the Dodgers' quest for a historic three straight titles came to an end. Now the Dodgers head into a longer-than-expected winter while the Brewers set out to take the one last step they've never been able to take. The World Series begins Oct. 23 with the first ever Fall Classic game at American Family Field in Milwaukee.