Brewers One Win From First Pennant in 44 Years

Christian Yelich and the Milwaukee Brewers are one win from a pennant Milwaukee has not held in 44 years. The Brewers take a 3-0 National League Championship Series lead into Game 4 tonight at Dodger Stadium, with first pitch moved up to 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) on FS1 and FOX One.

That is the anniversary number hanging over every Milwaukee living room. The Brewers last reached the World Series in 1982. One more win over the two-time defending champions, and the pennant drought ends in the same building where Los Angeles swept them a year ago.

History firsts on the line

USA TODAY's Bob Nightengale put the rarest piece in plain English after Wednesday's 6-2 Game 3 win: no team has ever been swept in a postseason series and then swept the same opponent the following season. The Dodgers ran Milwaukee out of the 2025 NLCS in four games. A Brewers sweep here would flip that script completely.

One more victory would also put Milwaukee alongside the 1923 New York Yankees as the only club swept by a team in one postseason, then beating that same club in a series the next year. Manager Pat Murphy is not selling the parade. "The Dodgers are an incredible team that's won back-to-back championships," he said. "You think they're not good enough to come back and win a game against us?"

Closer Trevor Megill kept the clubhouse locked on the next pitch. "We've got one more game to go. Then we can talk about it all you want."

Drohan opens, Glasnow answers

Milwaukee is handing the ball to rookie left-hander Shane Drohan for his postseason debut, per a team source told Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci, with former Dodger Dustin May expected behind him. Drohan went 7-5 with a 4.19 ERA and 125 strikeouts in 124 2/3 innings during the regular season and has not pitched since Sept. 27.

Los Angeles counters with Tyler Glasnow. The right-hander carried a 3.53 ERA across 13 starts this year after a long summer back IL stint, then struck out five over 4 2/3 innings in the NLDS. Dave Roberts called him fresh with postseason experience. Glasnow's own approach was simple: settle in, do not chase 105 mph adrenaline, keep the week of prep the same.

The Dodgers have scored seven runs and collected 15 hits while striking out 25 times through three games. Milwaukee's bullpen has not allowed a run in this NLCS, and the Brewers keep finding new ways to beat a payroll that dwarfs theirs.

Tonight at Dodger Stadium

Game 4 is still pregame. No result, no clinch champagne yet. Yelich's Brewers just have to win one more in Chavez Ravine to end a 44-year wait and put the Dodgers' three-peat chase on ice. For Milwaukee fans who watched last October end in a sweep, Thursday night is the rematch that finally has leverage on their side.