The Milwaukee Brewers are going to the World Series for the first time in 44 years, completing a stunning four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 6-4 win in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series.
Milwaukee's run has been built on the dominant bullpen work that has defined the modern postseason: its relievers limited the Dodgers to almost nothing in the late innings across the entire series, neutralizing a lineup that led the National League in home runs during the regular season.
Rays Win the American League Pennant
Tampa Bay took a 3-2 series lead with a 3-1 Game 5 win over Cleveland on October 18, then finished the Guardians off on Monday night to claim the American League pennant. The Rays' pitching staff, long among the league's best run-prevention units, held Cleveland's lineup in check whenever the games tightened.
The Matchup
The World Series begins Thursday, October 23, in Milwaukee, giving the Brewers home-field advantage by virtue of the better regular-season record. The Rays make their return to the Fall Classic with a roster built on player development and aggressive in-season acquisition, a franchise model that has become a template across the sport.
For Milwaukee, a mid-market franchise that has spent much of its history outside the October spotlight, the sweep of Los Angeles delivers the franchise's biggest series since the 1982 run. First pitch is set for 8:00 p.m. Eastern on Fox.
