LOS ANGELES (AP) — Garrett Mitchell hit a go-ahead homer in the sixth inning, Milwaukee’s brilliant bullpen slammed the door late and the Brewers rallied past the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-4 on Thursday in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series to earn their first World Series trip since 1982.
asserted
Brewers → hit → 1982
No. 9 hitter David Hamilton’s two-out solo shot off Edwin Díaz gave the Brewers a two-run cushion in the ninth.
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shot → give → ninth
Hamilton had just four homers in the regular season.
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Hamilton → have → season
“We got down early tonight and we were like, it’s going to be a great story,” Brewers captain Christian Yelich said.
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Yelich → get → ?
“We’re going to come back and win this.
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We → go → this
And that’s exactly what they did.”
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they → ’ → what
Aaron Ashby pitched three scoreless innings for a save as the Brewers erased a four-run deficit to win their first NL pennant and second overall.
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Brewers → pitch → pennant
Milwaukee was in the American League when the franchise made its only previous World Series appearance 44 years ago, a seven-game loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.
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franchise → make → Cardinals
Shohei Ohtani’s first home run this postseason helped put the Dodgers ahead 4-0 in the second inning before the Brewers came back to complete a four-game sweep of the two-time defending World Series champions a year after getting swept by Los Angeles in the NLCS.
asserted
Brewers → put → NLCS
“They may have a bunch of Hall of Famers, but we’ve got a bunch of gamers — and the gamers won this week,” Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said.
uncertain
Murphy → have → gamers
The Dodgers’ goal of a three-peat — not done since the New York Yankees from 1998-2000 and never by a National League team — died with their anemic offense and injuries to Ohtani and others on their aging roster.
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goal → do → roster
“I’m not used to those consolation speeches,” manager Dave Roberts said.
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Roberts → ’m → speeches
“The thing about sports that we all love is no matter how much you prepare, you want it, there’s no guarantees.”
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you → love → it
After topping the majors with 103 wins during the regular season, Milwaukee became the first major league club to finish a postseason sweep after getting swept by that same opponent in the previous postseason.
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Milwaukee → top → postseason
The Brewers also are the first team to sweep a best-of-seven postseason series in which it trailed in every game.
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it → sweep → game
“There was never a doubt in that dugout what was going to happen tonight.
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what → be → dugout
We knew we were going to win that game,” said first baseman Jake Bauers, the NLCS MVP.
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Bauers → know → game
With the score tied 4-all, Mitchell fell behind 0-2 before reliever Tanner Scott threw three straight balls for a full count.
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Scott → tie → count
Mitchell’s 409-foot leadoff drive to center field — the first homer of his career on an 0-2 count — put the Brewers ahead for the first time.
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drive → put → time
Mitchell also homered in their 6-2 victory Wednesday.
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Mitchell → homer → victory
“It’s absolutely surreal,” Mitchell said.
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Mitchell → ’ → ?
“You talk about the battle-tested Brewers.
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You → talk → Brewers
We went down early and the belief in that dugout got stronger and stronger.”
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belief → go → dugout
The Brewers’ bullpen coolly turned away multiple threats when the Dodgers had the potential tying run on base.
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Dodgers → turn → base
Winning pitcher JoJo Romero struck out Max Muncy with Kyle Tucker at third to end the sixth.
asserted
Romero → win → sixth
With one out in the seventh and a runner on third, Ashby struck out Ohtani swinging before Mookie Betts grounded out to end the inning.
asserted
Betts → strike → inning
Will Smith doubled to right with one out in the eighth and was safe at third when the ball got away from Sal Frelick for an error before Ashby got Tucker to fly out and Teoscar Hernández to strike out.
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Hernández → double → error
“Playing with that chip on our shoulder,” Ashby said.
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Ashby → play → shoulder
“You don’t ever know what to expect going into a series like that last year (against the Dodgers).
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You → know → Dodgers
You don’t know how bad it can be, and then it was as bad as it was.
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it → know → ?
And we came out and we survived, and we came back this year, and those guys played their tails off.”
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guys → come → tails
The Brewers tied it in the fifth, when the Dodgers bullpen issued four walks and Milwaukee stole two bases.
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Milwaukee → tie → bases
Hamilton’s single chased starter Tyler Glasnow and scored Frelick, who walked and stole second, to pull Milwaukee to 4-3.
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who → chase → 4
Alex Vesia came in and promptly walked Brice Turang and William Contreras to load the bases.
asserted
Vesia → come → bases
Vesia then walked Bauers with two outs to force in Hamilton with the tying run.
asserted
Vesia → walk → run
Glasnow retired his first 10 batters — six on strikeouts — before the Brewers got to him in the fourth.
asserted
Brewers → retire → fourth
Turang walked, Contreras hit a ground-rule double and Bauers followed with another ground-rule double that closed Milwaukee to 4-2.
asserted
that → walk → 4
Ohtani broke out of his postseason slump with a three-run homer after Andy Pages’ RBI single in the second.
asserted
Ohtani → break → second
The four-time MVP released weeks of pent-up frustration by raising his arms and yelling and the crowd of 49,104 joined him in celebration.
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crowd → release → celebration
But the Brewers wouldn’t be denied.
asserted
Brewers → deny → ?
…and 3 more, not listed.
The Aporia
