Can the Dodgers Stage an Incredible Comeback?

The Milwaukee Brewers are one win away from their first World Series in 44 years. The Los Angeles Dodgers, two-time defending champions, are one loss away from elimination. And the man who sparked the only 3-0 comeback in MLB postseason history is now standing on the other side of it.

The Brewers stunned the Dodgers 6-2 in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium, taking a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Jake Bauers delivered the decisive blow, an 11-pitch battle against Blake Snell that ended with a two-run homer into the right-field pavilion. One batter later, Garrett Mitchell went back-to-back. Dodger Stadium fell silent.

Milwaukee can complete the sweep on Thursday night.

How the Brewers Got Here

The Brewers have been the best team in baseball all season. They won 103 games during the regular season, the most in the majors. They swept the Padres in the NLDS. And they have now won five consecutive playoff games, including two at American Family Field and one at Dodger Stadium.

Their formula is simple: elite pitching, timely hitting, and a bullpen that has been historically dominant.

The Bullpen Is the Story

Milwaukee’s bullpen has been the defining force of this postseason. Through six games, relievers have combined for a 0.38 ERA, allowing one earned run in 28 2/3 innings. In Game 2, they pitched five perfect innings, retiring all 15 batters they faced — the most perfect innings by any bullpen in postseason history.

That bullpen is anchored by a trio of arms that has been nearly untouchable: Aaron Ashby, Abner Uribe, and closer Trevor Megill. Uribe has appeared in all six of Milwaukee’s postseason games. Ashby has pitched in five. Together, they have shut down the most feared lineup in baseball.

Jake Bauers and the At-Bat That Defined the Series

If the Brewers finish this off, the defining image of the 2026 NLCS will be Jake Bauers at the plate, fouling off pitch after pitch, refusing to die.

In Game 2, Bauers worked a 12-pitch at-bat against Yoshinobu Yamamoto that ended in a walk and sparked a rally. In Game 3, he saw 11 pitches from Snell. He fouled off the eighth, ninth, and tenth. The 11th was a fastball that caught too much plate. Bauers turned on it and sent it into the right-field seats.

“Super sick,” was how Garrett Mitchell described it from the on-deck circle. “What more can you say?”

The Dodgers’ Collapse

For six innings on Wednesday night, it looked like the Dodgers might finally break through.

Blake Snell had recovered from allowing a leadoff home run to Jackson Chourio on the first pitch of the game. He retired 18 of 20 batters from the first through the sixth, striking out nine. Will Smith, mired in a 1-for-25 postseason slump, delivered a two-run double in the sixth to give Los Angeles a 2-1 lead.

The stadium was rocking. The comeback seemed possible.

Then the seventh inning happened. Snell walked Andrew Vaughn. Bauers hit the 11th pitch of his at-bat for a two-run homer. Mitchell went back-to-back. The Dodgers never recovered.

The Offensive Meltdown

The Dodgers’ bats have been the story of the series — for all the wrong reasons.

Through three games, Los Angeles is hitting .193/.263/.328 as a team. They are 2-for-16 with runners in scoring position in the series and 3-for-32 in the postseason.

The superstars have been the biggest culprits. Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Shohei Ohtani are a combined 13-for-65 (.200) with three RBIs. Will Smith is 1-for-23. Ohtani, who has not hit a home run since August 18, was moved to the No. 6 spot in the order for Game 3.

“We’re playing like crap,” Max Muncy said. “They’re playing great. It’s as simple as that. No need to overcomplicate it”.

Can the Dodgers Actually Come Back?

The short answer is: history says no.

In all best-of-seven postseason series, teams with a 3-0 lead have gone on to win 41 of 42 times — a 98% success rate. Thirty-two of those series ended in sweeps. Only two teams have ever forced a Game 7 after trailing 3-0: the 2020 Astros (who lost Game 7) and the 2004 Red Sox (who won it all).

Only the 2004 Red Sox have completed the comeback. And the manager of those Red Sox? Dave Roberts, now the manager of the Dodgers. His stolen base in the ninth inning of Game 4 against Mariano Rivera sparked the rally that changed baseball history.

“It’s certainly possible,” Roberts said. “I’ve lived it. And I think the thing is that our guys have been battle-tested, as was that team I was a part of”.

The Pitching Plan

If the Dodgers are going to make history, it starts on the mound.

Game 4: Tyler Glasnow. The right-hander has a 1.73 ERA in seven playoff appearances for the Dodgers, and his club has won each of those games. He went 4 2/3 innings in the NLDS clincher against Atlanta, allowing one run while walking five.

Game 5: Tarik Skubal. The back-to-back Cy Young winner started Game 1 against the Brewers, allowing two runs over five innings. He has a 2.13 ERA in eight career playoff starts.

Game 6: Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The Japanese ace struck out 10 over seven one-run innings against Atlanta in the NLDS. The Brewers cracked the code in Game 2, chasing him after 2 2/3 innings, but he remains one of the best October pitchers in the game.

Game 7: TBD. If it gets that far, everything is on the table.

The Offense Must Wake Up

The pitching plan only matters if the Dodgers score runs. And they haven’t.

The 2026 Dodgers hit 204 home runs and averaged 4.94 runs per game during the regular season. In this series, they’re averaging just over two runs per game.

The problem isn’t just bad luck. It’s bad at-bats. The Dodgers are chasing pitches out of the zone, failing to move runners over, and leaving runners stranded. The Brewers’ pitchers have exploited their aggressiveness, and the Dodgers have not adjusted.

“If we lose, we’re done,” Kiké Hernández said. “We’ve got to find a way to turn the page quick, because tomorrow is going to be here pretty fast”.

What’s at Stake

For the Brewers, this is about ending the longest World Series drought in the National League. Milwaukee has never won a World Series in 58 years of existence. They last reached the Fall Classic in 1982, losing to the Cardinals in seven games. A win on Thursday would avenge last year’s sweep at the hands of the Dodgers and send them to their first World Series in 44 years.

For the Dodgers, this is about legacy. They are chasing a third consecutive World Series title — a feat accomplished only by the 1998-2000 Yankees in the wild-card era. They spent more money than any team in baseball history to build this roster. They were heavy favorites to win it all. And now they’re one loss away from one of the most stunning postseason exits in the sport’s history.

“We didn’t expect to be in this position,” Hernández said. “This one sucks”.

The Milwaukee

Brewers are one win away from the World Series. They have the better team, the hotter bats, and the most dominant bullpen of any postseason in recent memory. They have won five straight playoff games. And they are playing with a confidence that the Dodgers have not been able to match.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are one loss away from elimination. They have the talent, the pedigree, and the manager who sparked the only 3-0 comeback in baseball history. But they have not hit all series, and their margin for error is now zero.

Game 4 is Thursday night at Dodger Stadium. Tyler Glasnow takes the mound for Los Angeles. Rookie Shane Drohan will start for Milwaukee — or, more accurately, the Brewers will use a bullpen game, with Drohan serving as the opener before the dominant relief corps takes over.

The Dodgers need to win four games in a row. They need their superstars to wake up. They need their pitching to be perfect. And they need to do something that has only been done once in 122 years of World Series history.

“We’re playing like crap,” Muncy said. “They’re playing great.”

If that doesn’t change on Thursday, the Brewers are going to the World Series. And the Dodgers are going home.

First pitch is at 8:00 PM ET on FS1.