LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers are poised to become Major League Baseball’s first reigning champions to return to the World Series in 16 years.
Tommy Edman hit a tiebreaking single off hard-throwing rookie Jacob Misiorowski in a two-run sixth inning, and the third-seeded Dodgers beat the top-seeded Milwaukee Brewers 3-1 on Thursday night to take a 3-0 lead in their best-of-seven National League Championship Series.
NL West Division champion Los Angeles is 8-1 in this postseason behind outstanding starting pitching, an improved bullpen and just enough offense.
“We’re just excited,” said Edman, the 2024 NLCS MVP. “We didn’t play great during the regular season, and we’re getting hot at the right time.”
No reigning champion has reached the World Series since the 2009 Philadelphia Phillies. No team has won consecutive titles since the New York Yankees took three in a row from 1998 to 2000.
“You’ve got to treat it like it’s a do-or-die game,” Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy said. “You can’t look ahead, and I think that’s something a lot of teams struggle with.”
Game 4 is Friday. The only one of the 41 teams that overcame a 3-0 series deficit in MLB postseason history was the 2004 Boston Red Sox, who won four straight to oust the Yankees in the American League Championship Series. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts played for that Red Sox team and sparked their rally with a key stolen base in the ninth inning of Game 4, when Boston beat New York in 12 innings.
“We’re up, but like Kobe (Bryant) said, ‘The job’s not done,'” Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts said in reference to the late Los Angeles Lakers great. “We’ve got to keep going and just keep applying pressure. We’ve got to keep in mind we’re five wins away from what we really want.”
Shohei Ohtani tripled off Andy Ashby to start the bottom of the first inning, then scored on Betts’ double to put the Dodgers ahead, but Jake Bauers pulled Milwaukee even with an RBI single in the second.
That was the only run allowed by Tyler Glasnow, who has combined with Ohtani, Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto to give Dodgers starters a 1.54 ERA in these playoffs.
Misiorowski replaced Ashby with two runners and one out in the first, and he struck out Edman and Teoscar Hernández. The 23-year-old right-hander topped 100 mph with 17 pitches and struck out a Brewers postseason rookie record nine batters, but his fastball velocity dropped slightly to 98-99 mph in the sixth.
Will Smith singled with one out on a slider in the middle of the strike zone, and Freddie Freeman walked after falling behind 1-2 in the count. Edman, who had struck out twice against Misiorowski, lined a low slider into center on Misiorowski’s 73rd and final pitch. Smith scored for a 2-1 lead as Sal Frelick made a weak throw.
“Misiorowski was nasty today. He’s got unbelievable stuff,” Edman said. “Will did a good job of capitalizing on a mistake and hitting one in the gap. He gave me one I could hit, and fortunately we were able to scrape one across and let our pitching do the rest.”
Abner Uribe relieved and struck out Hernández, then made a wild pickoff throw past first as Freeman scored, the second straight game with an error by the Milwaukee closer.
“I was really surprised,” Edman said. “I’m glad it happened. It gave us that insurance run.”
Glasnow allowed three hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings while striking out eight batters, leaving to a standing ovation from the crowd of 51,251.
Alex Vesia followed Glasnow and got two outs for his second win of the playoffs.
Rookie right-hander Roki Sasaki pitched a perfect ninth, finishing a four-hitter. Dodgers relievers allowed one hit in 3 1/3 innings. Sasaki, who moved to the bullpen when he returned from a four-month injury layoff in the final week of the regular season, Sasaki became the first pitcher since saves became an official statistic in 1969 to earn each of his first three in the postseason.
Eleven of 19 batters struck out in the middle innings as shadows crept across home plate and made it difficult for hitters.
“Take nothing away from Glasnow, who pitched great,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “Take nothing away from Miz, who pitched great, but it was a really tough visual for both teams. Nobody can think of a hard-hit ball hit during that time. That’s very unusual in a game.”
Smith agreed: “That was not fun. Even catching, I know it’s coming, it’s still hard to catch. The at-bats are even harder. That’s just kind of one of those games within the game, and it’s who can kind of handle it better.”
Milwaukee, which swept the Dodgers 6-0 during the regular season, has lost its past 10 postseason road games dating to 2018. After leading the major leagues with 97 wins during the regular season, the Brewers have three runs and nine hits in the series.
“We needed him today, and he was there for us,” Brewers third baseman Caleb Durbin said of Misiorowski. “Wish we could’ve had his back a little bit more.”
Dating to their NL Division Series finale against the second-seeded Philadelphia Phillies, the Dodgers became the first team to allow no runs or one run and four hits or fewer in four straight postseason games.
“It’s going to be tough no matter what we do, and you’re facing the Dodgers,” Misiorowski said. “I think we’ve got this. Stay positive with the boys, and I think just put a few hits together, and we’ll be fine.”
Milwaukee did not announce its starting pitcher for Game, but the Dodgers plan to give the ball to two-way star Ohtani.
The 31-year-old right-hander, who is 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA in the playoffs, will make his second postseason start after striking out nine batters in six innings against Philadelphia in the decisive Game 4 of the NLDS on Oct. 4. Ohtani, who batted leadoff as the designated hitter Thursday, was 1-for-4 with two strikeouts and is hitting .158 (6-for-38) with one homer and six RBIs in nine postseason games.
“I expect him to be good tomorrow,” Roberts said. “Be focused and put forth a good effort at the bat, too.”