The Milwaukee Brewers are one win away from the World Series. Back-to-back home runs from Jake Bauers and Garrett Mitchell in the seventh inning powered a 6-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series on Wednesday night, giving Milwaukee a commanding 3-0 series lead.
The Dodgers had grabbed a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth on a two-run double, according to reports. Bauers answered with a 412-foot two-run homer on the 11th pitch of his at-bat, and Mitchell followed two pitches later with a 428-foot solo shot that chased starter Blake Snell. The two-time Cy Young winner had retired 14 straight batters after Jackson Chourio hit his first pitch of the game over the fence.
Rookie Gasser etches his name in the record books
Milwaukee’s rookie left-hander Robert Gasser delivered five scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and a walk while striking out three. According to OptaSTATS, Gasser is the first rookie in MLB history to make a scoreless postseason start against the defending World Series champions. Snell, meanwhile, allowed four runs on four hits over six innings with nine strikeouts and two walks.
The Dodgers managed only five hits and failed to homer for a third straight game. Milwaukee tacked on insurance runs in the eighth and ninth to reach the 6-2 final. October has already produced its share of statement road wins, from the Maple Leafs’ rout of the Avalanche to Milwaukee’s latest October classic — and a detailed account of the Game 3 drama has the full box score picture.
One more win from a trip 44 years in the making
Victory in Game 4 would send the Brewers to their first World Series appearance since 1982. Milwaukee won the first two games at home, reversing last year’s NLCS, when the Dodgers eliminated the Brewers in four games. The defending champions now face a 3-0 deficit for only the second time in franchise history. Game 4 is set for Thursday night at Dodger Stadium, where a franchise on the brink of history is the kind of story that reshapes a club’s future — as this month’s record Lakers sale underlines.
