Brewers end agonizing World Series drought, halt Dodgers dynasty with NLCS sweep

Brewers end agonizing World Series drought, halt Dodgers dynasty with NLCS sweep.

Key points

• The Milwaukee Brewers are headed to the World Series for the first time since 1982.
• Mark Attanasio, owner of the Brewers, intends to present the National League Championship Series trophy to former commissioner Bud Selig.
• More: 'Who doesn't like beer?' How Brewers owner built model MLB franchise Exclusive.
• Ohtani, hitting sixth in the lineup in their Game 3 loss, looked like the Ohtani of old, reaching base three times with a 113-mph single off his bat.
• You obtained to provide credit where credit's due, '' Dodgers veteran first baseman Freddie Freeman noted.

Brewers end agonizing World Series drought, halt Dodgers dynasty with NLCS sweep. Bob Nightengale USA TODAY. Milwaukee Brewers end agonizing World Series drought.

Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Brewers are headed to the World Series for the first time since 1982. They swept the Los Angeles Dodgers, ending the two-time defending champions' bid for another title.

LOS ANGELES – The Milwaukee Brewers can't tell you much regarding their 1982 ancestors, with no current player alive the last time the club went to the World Series, but Thursday evening, they just carved out their own legacy.

Notably, the Brewers, the team that resides in the smallest market in baseball. This person can't afford to keep their stars, who changed leagues since they last won the pennant, who have never won a World Series title, just asserted the National League pennant and a trip to the World Series.

In practice, the Brewers shocked the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers by completing a four-game sweep, winning 6-4, in front of a paid non-sellout crowd of 49, 104 at Dodger Stadium. Go crazy, Milwaukee! Go crazy!

Dodgers talk to media after an "emotional" loss to Brewers in NLCS.

USA TODAY caught up with the Dodgers in the locker room after a disappointing end to their season. Los Angeles was swept in the NLCS by Milwaukee.

I don't know much about baseball history, Brewers second baseman Brice Turang remarked, 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.

"They've gone through the bads and the goods, and they've stuck with us. And they're really good fans. They show up to every game. They're passionate regarding baseball. Any sport in Milwaukee or Wisconsin."

"We love them just as much as they love us. It's been fun to be able to play a part with them in the stands." Shop Brewers World Series tickets.

Mark Attanasio, owner of the Brewers, intends to present the National League Championship Series trophy to former commissioner Bud Selig. This person brought the franchise to Milwaukee in 1970, and owned it until selling it to Attanasio in 2005.

He deserves this, Attanasio remarked. He has meant everything to Milwaukee and this franchise.''.

It was no fluke that the Brewers swept the Dodgers. They beat them in every phase of the game.

Notably, the Dodgers were in every game, but every time they managed a lead, the Brewers came fighting back, just like on this night.

Notably, the Dodgers, who have been looking for a clutch hit the entire postseason, batting.116 with runners in scoring position, finally appeared to find their magic moment in the second inning when Shohei Ohtani stepped to the plate with two outs and two runners on base.

He looked terrible in his first at-bat against lefty Shane Drohan, striking out on five pitches, badly swinging and missing on a slider and losing his helmet in the process.

This time, facing former teammate Dustin May, he swung at May's 95.1-mph cutter, and sent it halfway up the right-field pavilion 428 feet away, with a vicious swing clocked at 113-mph.

Ohtani stood at the plate, admired it, flung his bat high into the air, and screamed. He danced around the bases, stomped on home plate, skipped into the dugout, and slapped hands so hard that his hands stung.

Just like that, the baseball world was subtly reminded that Ohtani. This person was mired in the deepest slumps in his career, still is the greatest player in the game. And perhaps no one needed that reminder more than Ohtani.

Ohtani, who had not homered since Aug. 18, and hit.156 with only three extra-base hits after the homer, spent the past a number of days working on his swing deep into the night, with a debate raging whether he should still be playing with his nagging knee and biceps injuries.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts dropped him from leadoff to second, to fourth, to fifth, to sixth in the lineup. He even had a heart-to-heart conversation with Ohtani on Tuesday to see if he was healthy enough to contribute with his nagging injuries.

He convinced Roberts he'd be fine, and was close to finding his stroke, staying in the hitting cages until 9 p.m.

Roberts rewarded him by putting him back as the leadoff hitter, believing if they're going to go down, he wanted to go down with the lineup that brought them here, moving struggling catcher Will Smith back to the cleanup spot, too.

It worked, but the Brewers came storming back with two runs apiece in the fourth and fifth innings to tie the game, with Garrett Mitchell hitting the go-ahead homer to lead off the sixth.

Mitchell, who had hit two homers all season off left-handed pitchers, suddenly hit two homers off lefties in 24 hours.

"You obtained to provide credit where credit's due, '' Dodgers veteran first baseman Freddie Freeman noted. "You've obtained a platinum Gold Glover at second base. Joey Ortiz is great at third. Cooper Pratt has been playing amazing as a rookie. They played great baseball.''.

Now, the question is whether this is the end of the Dodgers' dynasty, reaching the postseason 14 consecutive years, winning five pennants, and three World Series titles since 2020.

We do know we have an older team, Freeman, 37, remarked. That doesn't mean we're old and we're playing bad since we're old. But that's people's opinions. I can't change your opinion since we are in this game a little bit older than everybody else.''. Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale. Share your feedback to support improve our site!

In short, brewers end agonizing World Series drought, halt Dodgers dynasty with NLCS sweep is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.