Dodgers Get Swept Right Out of World Series Contention

Garrett Mitchell hit a go-ahead homer in the sixth inning, Milwaukee's brilliant bullpen slammed the door late, and the Brewers rallied past the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-4 on Thursday in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series to earn their first World Series trip since 1982, the AP reports. No. 9 hitter David Hamilton's two-out solo shot off Edwin Díaz gave the Brewers a two-run cushion in the ninth. Hamilton had just four homers in the regular season. "We got down early tonight and we were like, it's going to be a great story," Brewers captain Christian Yelich said. "We're going to come back and win this. Like, stay together, start chipping away. And that's exactly what they did."

Aaron Ashby pitched three scoreless innings for a save as the Brewers erased a four-run deficit to win their first NL pennant and second overall. Milwaukee was in the American League when the franchise made its only previous World Series appearance 44 years ago, a seven-game loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. Shohei Ohtani's first home run this postseason helped put the Dodgers ahead 4-0 in the second inning before the Brewers came back to complete a four-game sweep of the two-time defending World Series champions a year after getting swept by Los Angeles in the NLCS. "They may have a bunch of Hall of Famers, but we've got a bunch of gamers—and the gamers won this week," Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said.

The Dodgers' goal of a three-peat—not done since the New York Yankees from 1998-2000 and never by a National League team—died with their anemic offense and injuries to Ohtani and others on their aging roster. "I'm not used to those consolation speeches," manager Dave Roberts said. "The thing about sports that we all love is no matter how much you prepare, you want it, there's no guarantees." After topping the majors with 103 wins during the regular season, Milwaukee became the first major league club to finish a postseason sweep after getting swept by that same opponent in the previous postseason. The Brewers also are the first team to sweep a best-of-seven postseason series in which it trailed in every game.