Brewers advance to NLCS after eliminating rival Cubs

The Milwaukee Brewers are heading to the National League Championship Series after defeating the Chicago Cubs 3-1 in Game 5 of the division series Saturday.

The postseason series win is the Brewers' first since 2018. Meanwhile, the Cubs haven't reached the league championship series since 2017.

"A lot of people didn't believe in them early on, and they just continued to stay relentless," Brewers manager Pat Murphy said of his team exceeding expectations this season, according to Steve Megargee of The Associated Press.

William Contreras, Andrew Vaughn, and Brice Turang each hit solo homers to account for Milwaukee's offense.

Turang had been hitless since Game 1 of the series before sending an Andrew Kittredge offering over the center-field fence to extend Milwaukee's lead in the seventh inning.

Jacob Misiorowski pitched four solid innings to earn the win after opener Trevor Megill tossed a scoreless first. "The Miz" is the second rookie in MLB history to earn a win without starting in each of the first two games of his postseason career, according to Opta Stats.

"It's everything we worked for, and it's awesome to be here," Misiorowski told Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel following the win.

"I was doing what I needed to do to win a ball game and put up zeros for my teammates. ... It's unreal. It's awesome they have that much trust in me, and it's awesome to be here."

Aaron Ashby, Chad Patrick, and Abner Uribe combined to allow one hit across four innings to finish out the deciding contest.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell, who was skipper of the Brewers for nine years before joining Chicago before the 2024 campaign, took Saturday's loss to heart.

"I'm disappointed. I'm sad," Counsell said, according to Megargee. "I think this team did a lot to honor the Chicago Cub uniform. In the big picture, that's how I feel."

The Brewers will host the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS, with Game 1 scheduled Monday at 8:08 p.m. ET at American Family Field. The Dodgers eliminated the Brewers from the 2018 NLCS.

Milwaukee went 6-0 against the Dodgers this season, outscoring them 31-16.