The Los Angeles Dodgers moved to the brink of a second straight World Series appearance with a 3–1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series on Thursday night at Dodger Stadium. Entering the matchup, oddsmakers listed Los Angeles as a strong favorite, generally around –150 on the moneyline, while Milwaukee opened near +130 after dropping the first two games of the series. The Dodgers ultimately justified those projections, extending their postseason surge behind another steady performance from their starting rotation and timely late-inning offense.
Los Angeles has now won eight of nine postseason games and holds a commanding 3–0 lead in the best-of-seven series, a deficit overcome only once in Major League Baseball history. The Dodgers are seeking to become the first defending champion to return to the World Series since the 2009 Philadelphia Phillies, and they have reached this point through dominant pitching and well-executed situational hitting.
The scoring began early for the Los Angeles team. Shohei Ohtani tripled off starter Andy Ashby in the first inning and scored when Mookie Betts doubled down the left-field line. Milwaukee evened the score in the second when Jake Bauers delivered an RBI single off Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow, who otherwise managed traffic effectively. That would be the Brewers’ only run of the evening.
Glasnow continued a postseason trend of excellence from the Dodgers’ rotation, allowing one run on three hits over five and two-thirds innings. He struck out eight and worked out of multiple jams, earning a standing ovation from the crowd of more than 51,000 as he exited. Los Angeles starters have combined for a 1.54 ERA throughout the postseason, a foundation that has kept the team in control even when its offense has produced modest totals.
Milwaukee turned to hard-throwing rookie Jacob Misiorowski early, bringing him in with two on and one out in the first inning. Misiorowski overpowered Dodgers hitters through the middle innings, hitting triple digits seventeen times and striking out nine batters, the most ever by a Brewers rookie in a postseason game. His command eventually began to waver in the sixth, and Los Angeles capitalized.
Will Smith singled with one out, and Freddie Freeman drew a walk after falling behind in the count. Tommy Edman, who had struck out twice against Misiorowski earlier in the night, lined a low slider into center field to score Smith and give the Dodgers a 2–1 lead. Milwaukee center fielder Sal Frelick’s throw home was off line, allowing the run to score easily. Edman, named the NLCS Most Valuable Player after the game, credited Misiorowski’s arsenal but noted that patience was key once the rookie’s velocity began to dip.
Moments later, Brewers reliever Abner Uribe attempted a pickoff throw that sailed wide of first base, allowing Freeman to score from third and extend the Dodgers’ lead. That insurance run proved valuable as the shadows across home plate grew more challenging for hitters on both sides.
The Dodgers’ bullpen shut down Milwaukee from that point forward. Alex Vesia recorded two critical outs in relief of Glasnow, earning his second win of the postseason. Rookie Roki Sasaki, who has emerged as an unexpected late-inning solution after his return from an extended injury absence, closed out the ninth with a perfect frame. Sasaki became the first pitcher since the save became an official statistic in 1969 to record his first three career saves in the postseason.
Milwaukee entered the NLCS as the top seed in the National League after winning ninety-seven regular-season games, but its offense has gone quiet at the worst possible time. The Brewers have just three runs and nine hits in the series and have now lost ten consecutive postseason road games dating back to 2018. Manager Pat Murphy noted the difficulty of hitting during the middle innings as shadows crept across the field, though he credited both starters for precision despite the challenging visual environment.
Los Angeles has now held opponents to one run or fewer in four straight postseason games, a first in franchise history. The performance has placed the club on the verge of securing its third World Series appearance in six seasons and keeping alive its pursuit of back-to-back championships.
Game 4 will be played Friday at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers are expected to start Shohei Ohtani, who last pitched six innings with nine strikeouts in the Division Series. Milwaukee has not yet announced its starter. With one more win, the Dodgers can clinch the pennant and continue their bid to become the first repeat World Series champions in a quarter century.