The Los Angeles Dodgers advanced to the National League Championship Series for the second consecutive year after eliminating the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies in the first two rounds of the playoffs.
The Dodgers are now set to take on the Milwaukee Brewers for only the third time in MLB postseason history. Milwaukee punched their ticket after holding off the Chicago Cubs in five games of their NL Division Series matchup.
The Dodgers and Brewers most recently met in the playoffs during the 2020 Wild Card round, which saw L.A. complete a two-game sweep on their way to winning the World Series.
The Dodgers also eliminated the Brewers in seven games during the 2018 NLCS to advance to the Fall Classic, where they would fall to the Boston Red Sox.
The Dodgers fell behind early in Game 1 of the 2018 NLCS and nearly battled all the way back to pull off an improbable win on the road. L.A. had the tying run on third base with two outs in ninth inning, but Corey Knebel struck out Justin Turner to end the threat.
The Dodgers again found themselves trailing to the Brewers late in Game 2, but this time completed the comeback. Turner hit a game-winning, two-run homer in the eighth to help L.A. pull even with Milwaukee in the NLCS.
With the series shifting to Dodger Stadium, the Brewers took a 2-1 advantage by shutting out the Dodgers in Game 3.
L.A. bounced back with an extra-innings victory in Game 4 as Cody Bellinger delivered a walk-off single. The Dodgers then won Game 5 behind a dominant start from Clayton Kershaw to take a 3-2 lead in the NLCS.
With their backs against the wall, the Brewers were able to force a winner-take-all Game 7 at Miller Park. But despite having home-field advantage, they were unable to put away the Dodgers.
Yasiel Puig provided the dagger with a three-run homer in the top of the sixth that gave the Dodgers a decided 5-1 lead and second consecutive NL pennant.
The Dodgers and Brewers met again in the 2020 postseason for a best-of-three NL Wild Card Series at Dodger Stadium.
Due to health and safety protocols brought on by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the matchups were played without any fans in attendance.
The Dodgers took Game 1 after jumping out to an early lead and the pitching staff limiting the Brewers to just two runs.
L.A. then eliminated Milwaukee the following night behind eight shutout innings from Kershaw. The left-hander allowed just three hits and collected 13 strikeouts against one walk.
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