Lower-Cost Brewers Sweep Dodgers, Reach World Series

The Milwaukee Brewers, with a roster estimated at about $143 million, beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-4 on Thursday, Oct. 15, completing a four-game sweep of the National League Championship Series and advancing to the World Series. The Brewers’ roster ranked 19th in MLB by cost, while CNN reported that the Dodgers had the league’s second-most-expensive roster. Milwaukee led the majors with 103 regular-season wins. It will host the World Series opener on Oct. 23.

Payroll and the pennant

Milwaukee secured its first National League pennant and first World Series appearance since 1982, when the team lost in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals while competing in the American League. The franchise has never won an MLB title. The Brewers will play Cleveland or Tampa Bay in the opener. Reports published after Game 4 said the Guardians led the Rays 2-1 in the American League Championship Series.

The payroll comparison also covers those possible opponents. CNN reported Cleveland’s payroll at $74 million, the league’s lowest, and Tampa Bay’s at $98 million, 25th in MLB. The Brewers’ roster estimate stood at about $143 million. The reported figures put three possible World Series teams below the Dodgers in roster cost, though the article gave no profit figures for any club.

The Dodgers entered the postseason as two-time defending champions, seeking a third consecutive title. From 1998-2000, the New York Yankees were the last team to win three straight; no National League team had done it. Los Angeles swept Milwaukee in all four NLCS games the previous season. Milwaukee became the first major-league club to sweep a postseason series after that same opponent swept it in the previous postseason. It also became the first team to sweep a best-of-seven postseason series while trailing in every game.

A comeback built by the roster

Los Angeles took a 4-0 lead in the second inning. Shohei Ohtani hit a three-run homer off Dustin May, sending the ball 428 feet at 113 mph. The crowd of 49,104 watched Milwaukee start its comeback in the fourth, when Jake Bauers hit a ground-rule double that scored William Contreras and Brice Turang.

The Brewers tied the game in the fifth as the Dodgers’ bullpen issued four walks and Milwaukee stole two bases. David Hamilton singled to score Sal Frelick. With two outs, Alex Vesia walked Bauers, forcing in Hamilton. Garrett Mitchell put Milwaukee ahead in the sixth with a 409-foot leadoff homer off Tanner Scott. Hamilton added an insurance run with a solo homer in the ninth.

Milwaukee’s relievers turned away Dodgers threats for three straight innings, each ending with the tying run at third base. JoJo Romero struck out Max Muncy to end the sixth. Aaron Ashby struck out Ohtani and got Mookie Betts to ground out in the seventh. He then retired Teoscar Hernández and left Will Smith stranded in the eighth. Ashby pitched three scoreless innings to earn the save.

What the players said

Mitchell said the team’s belief grew after it fell behind. “It's absolutely surreal. You talk about the battle-tested Brewers. We went down early and the belief in that dugout got stronger and stronger.” He added, “I've always dreamt of moments like these as a kid.”

Brewers captain Christian Yelich described the dugout’s response: “We got down early tonight and we were like, it's going to be a great story. We're going to come back and win this. Like, stay together, start chipping away. And that's exactly what they did.”

Owner Mark Attanasio said the pennant mattered to “the community, the entire state of Wisconsin” and invoked former Brewers figures Bud Selig and Bob Uecker. Milwaukee has a week off before the World Series opener at home on Oct. 23.