The Milwaukee Brewers came into their 2026 NLCS tilt against the Los Angeles Dodgers with only one thing in their mind: getting revenge. After all, the Dodgers swept them on their way to winning a second-consecutive World Series title last year. One thing's for sure; they cannot go out in that fashion again. In fact, they must not go out at all.
It was evident that this Brewers team was different mentally, as Blake Snell observed. And on Thursday night, despite falling behind by four runs in the second inning, it was clear that Milwaukee was never rattled. They mounted a comeback from 4-0 down to take a 6-4 victory to complete the sweep of the Dodgers, giving them a dose of their own medicine.
The Brewers have already talked their smack, but at the end of the day, they have nothing but respect for the Dodgers. They might have fielded the most stacked roster in MLB over the past few seasons, but manager Pat Murphy knows that putting together a championship team requires far more than simply acquiring all the best players.
“You've got to go through the Dodgers. They're the greatest team, put together two World Series in a row in this climate,” Murphy said, per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. “Nobody has a tougher job than Dave Roberts. Nobody has a tougher job. It's win the whole thing or bust. That's a very tough thing to live with.”
Article Continues BelowMLB fans won't have much sympathy for the Dodgers. After all, they have the second-highest payroll in MLB, and they are expected to make even more moves this offseason to improve the team. Meanwhile, teams like the Brewers have to make the most out of the players they have considering that their budget is much more limited.
It also gets to a point where fatigue seeps in, even for a proud championship team like the Dodgers. And the Brewers deserve all the credit in the world for pouncing on the opportunity. Now, they need to win just four more games to get over the hump.