Brewers vs Dodgers

An MLB matchup between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers, covering their postseason rivalry including the 2018 and 2025 National League Championship Series.

Brewers vs Dodgers

Overview

Brewers vs Dodgers refers to the matchup between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers in Major League Baseball (MLB)'s National League (NL). The two teams belong to the NL Central and NL West respectively, so they do not meet often during the regular season, but since the late 2010s they have repeatedly clashed in the postseason and formed a de facto rivalry. In particular, as the two teams faced each other in the 2018 and 2025 National League Championship Series (NLCS), it became a "regular autumn matchup."

Main content

Team overviews

Milwaukee Brewers: Founded in 1969 as the Seattle Pilots, moved to Milwaukee in 1970, and moved from the American League to the National League in 1998. Home stadium is American Family Field (Milwaukee). The 1982 World Series runner-up is the franchise's best result, and since 2018 the team has been evaluated as a "small-market strong team" that consistently secures postseason berths.
Los Angeles Dodgers: A prestigious franchise that started in Brooklyn in 1883 and moved to LA in 1958. Home stadium is Dodger Stadium. The team has won the World Series 8 times (including 2024 and 2025), and since 2013 has effectively dominated the National League West.

The two teams' roster construction is contrasting. The Dodgers are a "large-market" model that accumulates star talent through large salaries, free agent (FA) signings, and international amateur contracts, while the Brewers represent a "small-market" model that maximizes efficiency through the draft, trades, player development systems, platoon management, and bullpen baseball. This contrast creates the narrative appeal of the matchup.

Matchup history

2018 National League Championship Series

The Brewers won the division with 96 wins, and the Dodgers also clinched the division title before the two faced off. The Brewers, led by Christian Yelich, Lorenzo Cain, Ryan Braun, and others, built momentum at home, but the Dodgers dragged the series to Game 7 and took the NLCS 4-3. Cody Bellinger won NLCS MVP, and this series is remembered as one of the most intense postseason series in Brewers franchise history.

2020 Wild Card Series

In the expanded postseason format of the COVID-19-shortened season, the two teams met in the Wild Card Series. In the best-of-three series, the Dodgers swept both games and went on to win the World Series. The Brewers bowed out after revealing a lack of scoring in this series.

2025 National League Championship Series

The most notable matchup of the 2020s. The Brewers contended for the best regular-season winning percentage in the National League and won the division, while the Dodgers also topped the West, and the two teams clashed again in the NLCS. As a result, the Dodgers finished the series with four straight wins and advanced to the World Series, while the Brewers ended their season unable to solve the Dodgers' pitching even at home. This series was evaluated as re-emphasizing the structural limitations of a small-market team that dominates the regular season but is blocked by large-market power in the fall.

Power comparison and tactical characteristics

Starting pitching vs bullpen: The Dodgers prefer an operation that locks down the late innings with an elite starting rotation and closer. The Brewers actively use an "opener/bullpen day" strategy that gives starters short innings and brings in a strong bullpen early.
Offensive style: The Brewers tend to manufacture runs with on-base ability, baserunning, and small ball, while the Dodgers aim for big innings with extra-base hits and the destructive power of the top of the order.
Defense and baserunning: The Brewers have consistently ranked near the top of the league in defensive metrics and baserunning efficiency, while the Dodgers construct defense based on individual players' athleticism.

Home stadiums and fan culture

American Family Field has a retractable roof and is less affected by climate, and is famous for Milwaukee fans' "tailgate" culture and cheering that shakes the entire stadium. Dodger Stadium is a large stadium that repeatedly sets MLB attendance records, and boasts a late-game "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" singalong and a unique atmosphere. The difference in atmosphere between the two stadiums is also an interesting element of the matchup.

Latest trends

As MLB introduced a balanced schedule in 2023, regular-season matchups between the two teams from different divisions increased, leading to an expansion of the rivalry into the regular season. After the 2025 NLCS sweep, the Brewers are preparing a counterattack by maintaining their core position players while reorganizing the starting rotation and reinforcing through trades. The Dodgers reaffirmed their strength by winning the 2025 World Series and continue to maintain their power through large contracts and international amateur signings. In addition, institutional changes such as discussions on introducing an automated ball-strike system (ABS), postseason expansion, and restructuring of seed assignment are cited as variables that will affect the shape of future autumn matchups. Among fandoms, the frame of "strongest regular-season Brewers vs October Dodgers" has solidified, and expectations for the next postseason matchup continue.