For the first time since 2023, someone other than the Los Angeles Dodgers is gonna hoist that World Series trophy, and yeah, that’s a tough pill to swallow for a team that shelled out $240 million for Kyle Tucker and another $69 million for Edwin Díaz. Seriously, they even made a blockbuster trade for Tarik Skubal in August! The Milwaukee Brewers just absolutely owned them, completing the National League Championship series sweep on Thursday right there at Dodger Stadium. Talk about a gut punch. This loss totally ended L.A.’s insane quest to become the first MLB team ever to three-peat, which, let’s be real, wasn’t even seen as unrealistic for the team with the highest payroll in baseball and a four-time MVP like Shohei Ohtani leading the charge.
Swept, But Not a Failure? The Experts Weigh In
You’d think getting swept after all that would scream “failure,” right? But hold up, the MLB on FOX crew wasn’t having it. They were actually dishing out high praise for the defending World Series champs and their longtime skipper, Dave Roberts. David Ortiz, a three-time champ himself, said it best during the postgame show: “If they don’t win the World Series, it’s like they had a bad year, you know what I’m saying? This game is a tough game to play, and Dave Roberts, even losing tonight, being swept, I think his career is one of the greatest.” Ortiz was straight up gushing, pointing out that Roberts has racked up three World Series titles in the last six years. He even tipped his hat, saying Roberts “still has a lot to come, staying with the Dodgers organization.” Look, Roberts has been under a microscope since he took over in 2016, and this series was no different. After Game 3, people were ripping him for leaving starting pitcher Blake Snell in for the seventh inning and how he handled young outfield prospect Josue De Paula. But even with all that heat, the big names are backing him.
Sometimes You Just Get Beat: The Brewers Were Hot
Derek Jeter, the star of the last MLB team to three-peat, wasn’t pointing fingers at the Dodgers or Roberts. For him, this series was all about the Brewers being flat out resilient. “Dave Roberts, he’s been on our set hundreds of times, it seems like,” Jeter said, “He’s classy in victory, as well as defeat. We haven’t seen him lose very often, but he said it: sometimes you tip your cap to the other team. They beat them.” Jeter pushed back against anyone trying to “dissect what happened to the Los Angeles Dodgers,” saying they just “ran into a team that was hot, and sometimes that happens.” He hoped Dodger fans would still be proud of how their team competed over the last few years, even if they fell short of that historic three-peat. Alex Rodriguez, Jeter’s old Yankees buddy, was right there with him. A-Rod, a 2009 World Series champ, said “you can’t say enough good things about everything they’ve done here over the last decade.” He added that a three-peat is “almost impossible in this environment today, in 2026.” And don’t forget, after all that talk, the Dodgers still won 100 games this year! They just ran into a buzzsaw.
So, the Dodgers’ incredible run for three straight titles is over. They won 100 games, spent a fortune, and still couldn’t get it done against a red-hot Brewers squad. It just shows you how brutal this game can be, even for a team as stacked as L.A. What’s next for them? Time to regroup, figure out how to come back even stronger, because you know they’ll be looking for redemption next season.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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