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MILWAUKEE (AP) — Christian Yelich and the Milwaukee Brewers have long sensed that a showdown with the Los Angeles Dodgers was inevitable. The Dodgers, with their back-to-back World Series titles and a payroll that dwarfs that of the small-market Brewers, have been a constant presence in the Brewers' postseason path.
"We've been expecting to play them in this round since spring training, in the regular season," Yelich said on Saturday. "You kind of just know that's what's going to happen."
The 2026 National League Championship Series is a sequel, pitting Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers against Jackson Chourio and the Brewers. Los Angeles swept Milwaukee in last year's NLCS en route to the franchise's 26th NL pennant and ninth World Series championship. The Dodgers also eliminated the Brewers in the 2018 NLCS and the 2020 wild-card round.
Game 1 on Sunday night will feature a pair of stingy aces. Tarik Skubal, a two-time Cy Young Award winner acquired from Detroit on Aug. 1, takes the mound for Los Angeles, while Jacob Misiorowski, the front-runner for the NL Cy Young Award, starts for Milwaukee.
The NLCS rematch also highlights the competing arguments at the heart of MLB's collective bargaining negotiations. Baseball's five-year labor contract expires on Dec. 1, and management is expected to lock out players in a confrontation that could impact the 2027 season.
The Dodgers finished the regular season 100-62, capturing their fifth straight NL West title with an opening-day payroll of $323.6 million, second only to the New York Mets. Milwaukee, with an opening-day payroll of $125.9 million that ranked 20th, set a franchise record with a major league-best 103 wins and secured their fourth consecutive NL Central title.
"We're focused on trying to win, and I think we have for a while," said Matt Arnold, Brewers president of baseball operations. "Regardless of what the economics look like, the guys in there believe, and so do I."
Milwaukee was stifled by Los Angeles in last year's playoffs, batting .118 and scoring just one run in each game of the sweep. Ohtani capped the series with three solo homers and struck out 10 over six shutout innings in Game 4.
Ohtani will not pitch this time due to injuries, and the Japanese slugger went 2 for 13 with four strikeouts in the four-game NL Division Series against Atlanta. However, the Dodgers still boast a formidable rotation led by Skubal and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
"Every night when you play these guys, you know you're going to face a great pitcher, a Cy Young-caliber pitcher," Yelich said.
Key Analysis
The NLCS rematch between the Brewers and Dodgers underscores the ongoing tension between small-market and big-market teams in MLB. While the Dodgers flex their financial muscle, the Brewers have proven that smart spending and player development can yield success, as evidenced by their franchise-record 103 wins. The series also serves as a backdrop to the looming labor negotiations, with the expiration of the CBA on Dec. 1 and a potential lockout threatening the 2027 season. On the field, the pitching matchup in Game 1 between Skubal and Misiorowski could set the tone for the series, while the absence of Ohtani on the mound adds an intriguing twist to the narrative.
Originally reported by local10.