By Field Level Media
Oct 16 (By Doug Padilla, Field Level Media) – LOS ANGELES — Their rallying cry was “Our way,” and in the end, the Milwaukee Brewers plowed their way into the franchise’s first World Series appearance in 44 years by doing it every way possible.
Clutch hitting, pitching and even a newly discovered power game lifted the Brewers to a four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.
Jake Bauers started the Brewers’ Game 4 comeback with a two-run double and Garrett Mitchell hit a go-ahead home run to deliver a 6-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday.
Bauers added a bases-loaded walk to tie the game in the fifth inning as the Brewers rallied from an early four-run to become the first team to sweep the same club that swept them out of the playoffs one year prior.
“They have a bunch of Hall of Famers, but we have a bunch of gamers, and the gamers won this week,” Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said at the on-field trophy presentation.
Catcher William Contreras guided the Brewers’ pitching staff in a bullpen game, and four pitchers held the Dodgers scoreless over the final seven innings. JoJo Romero (2-1) tossed two innings, and Aaron Ashby handled the final three frames for his second save of the postseason.
Bauers was selected the Most Valuable Player of the NLCS after going 4-for-14 (.286) with one homer and six RBIs.
“I can’t speak for anybody else, but for me, watching the way they carried themselves on the field after sweeping us last year was a little bit eye- opening,” Bauers said. “Those guys swept us, they sent us home, and you would have thought it was a handshake line at a spring training game. That’s something that I carried with me. That’s something that I remembered.
“Yeah, it was a little bit of motivation to just say, ‘We’ve got to keep going until there’s not another game left to play.'”
The Brewers will open the World Series at home on Oct. 23 against the winner of the American League Championship Series between the Cleveland Guardians and Tampa Bay Rays. The Guardians hold a 2-1 lead after winning 3-2 on Thursday.
Milwaukee made its only previous World Series appearance as an AL team in 1982, falling in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani hit a three-run homer in his return to the leadoff spot but also struck out three times while playing with knee and biceps discomfort that will be addressed in the offseason.
“I was grateful to spend time together as a team,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “Although we fell short, and are definitely disappointed, I want to use this as a catalyst to have a better season as a team (next year).”
Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow gave up four runs on three hits and two walks over 4 1/3 innings. He struck out six. Tanner Scott (0-1) served up Mitchell’s go-ahead home run in the sixth inning.
Los Angeles was trying to become the first National League club to win three consecutive World Series titles.
“I can’t give enough praise to the Brewers organization,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “… I think for me it never feels good to lose, but when you get beat, you can handle it a little bit better. I had a good conversation with the guys in (the Los Angeles locker room) and just told them how proud I was.
“I’m not used to consolation speeches, but it was a long season. It was still a good season.”
The Dodgers appeared to be all business in the second inning when Andy Pages delivered a one-out RBI single and Ohtani added a towering three-run blast with two outs for a 4-0 advantage.
Bauers continued his impressive series in the fourth inning with a two-run ground-rule double to cut Milwaukee’s deficit in half.
David Hamilton pulled the Brewers within 4-3 in the fifth inning with an RBI single, ending Glasnow’s outing. Dodgers reliever Evan Phillips subsequently loaded the bases with two outs on a pair of walks. Alex Vesia replaced Phillips and walked Bauers on four pitches to tie the game.
Milwaukee went up for good in the sixth at 5-4 when Mitchell, a Southern California native and UCLA alumnus, greeted Scott with a leadoff home run.
The Dodgers wasted a one-out double from Kyle Tucker in the sixth inning and a leadoff double from Pages in the seventh. Another double combined with an error in the eighth put Will Smith on third base as the potential tying run with one out. Ashby then retired Tucker on a shallow fly ball and struck out Teoscar Hernandez to end the threat.
Hamilton sealed the victory with a two-out home run in the ninth inning against Edwin Diaz.
“You guys talk to me all the time and hear my nonsense, but the truth is these guys are a special group,” Murphy said of his players. “They’re together. They care about each other. I love the Dodgers. I love their players. They’ve got legendary players. But we came in with a group that would not be denied.”
(–Doug Padilla, Field Level Media)
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