From a four-run comeback to sweeping the champions: Keys to Milwaukee's historic victory

The Milwaukee Brewers made history on Thursday by advancing to the World Series for the first time in 44 years, after defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-4 to complete a four-game sweep in the National League Championship Series. Milwaukee overcame a four-run deficit to eliminate the reigning Major League Baseball champions, who were aiming to win their third consecutive title.

The Brewers, who last appeared in the World Series in 1982, combined their offensive firepower with solid work from their bullpen to turn the game around at Dodger Stadium. They now await the winner of the American League Championship Series between the Cleveland Guardians and the Tampa Bay Rays to find out who they'll face in the title race.

"We've still got a ways to go. We've still got some big games in front of us," said Milwaukee captain Christian Yelich after the victory.

The player also highlighted the team's resilience after falling behind early in the game. "We've been so close to this so many times. Credit to our guys, our team, they stuck together, battled. We got down early, we were like it's gonna be a great story when we come back and win this," he noted.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy summed up the difference between the two teams in one sentence: "They may have a bunch of Hall of Famers, but we have a bunch of gamers. And the gamers won this week."

Ohtani gave the Dodgers hope, but Milwaukee came back

The Dodgers started the game aiming to extend their season and avoid an elimination that would have ended their hopes of winning three consecutive Major League Baseball titles. After losing Game 3 on Wednesday, they needed to win four straight games to become only the second team in MLB history to overcome a 0-3 deficit in a best-of-seven series.

Shohei Ohtani ignited the hopes of the home crowd in the second inning when he hit a 3-run home run to right field. The home run, the Japanese player's first in nearly two months, extended Los Angeles' lead to 4-0.

However, the Dodgers were unable to maintain control of the game. Milwaukee began to close the gap in the fourth inning when Jake Bauers hit a double that allowed the Brewers to pull within 4-2. Bauers, who was ultimately named the series' Most Valuable Player, was one of the key figures in the comeback.

In the fifth inning, David Hamilton hit a single that drove in Sal Frelick to make it 4-3. Shortly after, Bauers drew a walk with the bases loaded, allowing Milwaukee to tie the game.

The comeback was completed in the sixth inning, when Garrett Mitchell hit a home run for the second consecutive game and put the Brewers ahead 5-4. Hamilton added another solo home run in the ninth inning to seal the 6-4 victory.

The Dodgers squandered several opportunities to get back into the game. They failed to score in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, despite having runners on third base in each of them. Finally, reliever Aaron Ashby recorded the final three outs to seal the victory for Milwaukee.

Dodgers acknowledge Milwaukee's superiority

Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts acknowledged that the Brewers were the better team throughout the series and refused to make excuses following the elimination.

"At the end of the day, we got beat," Roberts said. "We got outplayed in all facets. Those guys played flawless," Roberts said.

The manager also highlighted Milwaukee's performance on both defense and offense. "Defensively they pitched better than we did, they hit better than we did, they slugged more than we did. You've got to sometimes just tip your cap," he noted.

Roberts said his players did everything they could to stay in the competition, though it wasn't enough to avoid elimination. The victory also marks a sporting rematch for Milwaukee, which lost 4-0 to the Dodgers last year in the National League Championship Series.