Major League Baseball

Why Dodgers And Brewers Don't View NLCS Rematch As David vs. Goliath

Published Oct. 10, 2026 10:38 p.m. ET

MILWAUKEE — One team in the National League Championship Series won the most games in Major League Baseball, posted the best run differential in the sport, ran away with the division by 14 games behind an offense that had the highest batting average and on-base percentage in baseball and shut down opponents with a pitching staff that ranked second in ERA and strikeouts.

The other team is the Dodgers.

This year’s NLCS might be built up as a David vs. Goliath matchup, considering how quickly the Dodgers disposed of the Brewers last October, the superstar talent on a Los Angeles roster that has won back-to-back World Series championships and the obvious payroll disparity between the clubs.

But neither team is looking at it that way.

At least, not anymore.

Not after the Brewers exceeded all expectations by securing the NL Central title for a fourth straight year, winning a franchise-record 103 games and seeing their top young talents — including 24-year-old pitcher Jacob Misiorowski and 22-year-old October sensation Jackson Chourio — take another leap forward.

"They have the best record in baseball," said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. "They have that for a reason. And they've got home-field advantage. We’ve got to play our best baseball. They’re certainly not afraid of us. They've got the guy who's going to win the Cy Young in the National League starting Game 1, so we’ve got our work cut out."

(Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

That guy would be Misiorowski, who last year was operating in relief when he struck out nine Dodger batters in five innings of one-run ball in Game 3 of NLCS. He had been relegated to the bullpen at the time after struggling down the stretch and used that October performance at Dodger Stadium as momentum to propel him into one of the most dominant starting pitching seasons in MLB history.

"I think the only thing is confidence," Misiorowski said. "Going into last year’s postseason, I didn’t know if I was going to be on the roster. I didn’t know if I was going to make it and help the team. This year, they trust me a little bit more."

Misiorowski has earned that trust by learning to harness his otherworldly velocity, cutting his walk rate nearly in half while adding to his arsenal. As many in the Brewers organization have described it, he was a thrower last year. Now, he is a pitcher.

Of course, having a fastball that averages over 100 mph doesn’t hurt.

(Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

The Dodgers got their latest glimpse of Misiorowski’s mastery in August, when he threw six innings of one-run ball at Dodger Stadium. Usually, more familiarity with a pitcher can work in a hitter’s favor. But in the case of Misiorowski and his extraordinary stuff, Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy isn’t so sure.

"I don’t know if there’s any advantage to seeing a guy that throws 105," Muncy told me. "He’s going to mix it. He’s going to be amped up and coming at us with everything he’s got."

And now, Misorowski and the Brewers’ core have last year’s experience to lean on.

(Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

After baseball’s best team toppled its hottest one in a back-and-forth NLDS battle in San Diego earlier this week, Milwaukee slugger Jake Bauers reflected on his team’s maturation. There’s a different level of belief, an almost palpable rise in confidence and assuredness, to this year’s Brewers as they prepare for an NLCS rematch.

"As a team, we noticed that it was lacking a little bit last year," Bauers told me. "Like we were just happy to be there."

"There wasn’t juice in the room," added Brewers pitching coach Chris Hook, who said the five-game NLDS took a lot out of the Brewers.

Given the strength of the Dodgers’ rotation — Misiorowski will face back-to-back Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal in Game 1 before reigning World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto takes the mound for the Dodgers in Game 2 — it’s possible their arms overwhelm the Brewers again.

But now, no longer viewing themselves as underdogs, the Brewers believe they’re better equipped to flip the script.

"We’re not surprised to be in this situation and in this series with them," said Brewers captain Christian Yelich. "What has happened before doesn’t really have an impact on what’s going to happen going forward."

Last year’s NLCS provided an example of that.

(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

The Dodgers went 0-6 in the regular season against the Brewers last season only to turn around and overmatch them with their pitching in the NLCS, sweeping the series and holding the Brewers to four runs and a .118 batting average over four games.

"I think we’ll see a different group," Hook said. "I think we’re ready to go."

The Brewers haven’t completely changed who they are. They’re still a team built on fundamentals — sound defense, smart baserunning and a contact-heavy approach on offense that applies pressure and wears down an opponent. But while they don’t hit a ton of homers, they’re also not a group reliant on soft-contact bloopers finding grass.

In addition to scoring more runs and recording more hits than the Dodgers this year, the Brewers also had a higher hard-hit rate than their superstar counterparts this season. Milwaukee’s offense has the highest hard-hit rate of any team this postseason.

"It’s not small ball," Roberts said. "It’s not pesky. It’s just baseball."

"They didn’t do ‘small-ball team’ to beat the Padres," added Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts. "They did what a complete team does."

And now, the Brewers will see how much better they really are.

"If it’s going to be that incredible story," said Brewers manager Pat Murphy, "you want it to go through the Dodgers."

Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on X at @RowanKavner.