Brewers advance to NLCS for 1st time since 2011
Fear the beer, National League.
The Milwaukee Brewers became the first team to advance to this year's National League Championship Series after completing a three-game sweep of their National League Division Series with a 6-0 win over the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Sunday.
It marks the Brewers' first trip to the NLCS since 2011, their third-ever playoff series win, and their first-ever postseason series sweep. They'll now look to win their first pennant since 1982, when they reached the World Series as champions of the American League.
BREWERS' PLAYOFF HISTORY
| Year | Series | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | ALDS | Yankees | Lost 3-2 |
| 1982 | ALCS | Angels | Won 3-2 |
| 1982 | World Series | Cardinals | Lost 4-3 |
| 2008 | NLDS | Phillies | Lost 3-1 |
| 2011 | NLDS | Diamondbacks | Won 3-2 |
| 2011 | NLCS | Cardinals | Lost 4-2 |
| 2018 | NLDS | Rockies | Won 3-0 |
| 2018 | NLCS | TBD | TBD |
Milwaukee pushed the Rockies aside in utterly dominating fashion, outscoring the wild-card winners 13-2 over the three-game NLDS. The Rockies' only runs were scored in the ninth inning of Game 1, and they ended the series on a 19-inning scoreless streak.
Sunday's win extended the Brewers' current winning streak - including both regular-season and playoff games - to 11. That's now tied with the 1932 and 1998 Yankees for the fourth-longest combined win streak in history, according to MLB Stat of the Day.
The Brewers' offensive attack Sunday was led by journeyman catcher Erik Kratz. The 38-year-old, who became the oldest player to have made his postseason debut since 1905 earlier in the series, went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored to finish the NLDS with a sparkling .625/.625/.750 slash line.
Erik Kratz: First player in history to play his first two postseason games at age 35 or older and have multiple hits in both of them. Did it at 34: WSH Sam Rice 1924, WSH Joe Harris 1925, NYY Don Mattingly 1995.
— Doug Kern (@dakern74) October 7, 2018
The Brewers also capitalized on Colorado's mistakes in Game 3. Rockies reliever Scott Oberg gifted the Brewers a pair by balking home a run and then letting another score on a wild pitch in the sixth inning. Milwaukee's first run of the game came home on Travis Shaw's first-inning ground out.
Jesus Aguilar, Orlando Arcia, and Keon Broxton all crushed solo homers in the win for Milwaukee. Arcia's and Broxton's blasts came in the ninth inning off Rockies closer Wade Davis, who didn't record an out in what ended up being his only appearance of the postseason.
Brewers starter Wade Miley didn't earn the win, but he did toss 4 2/3 innings of shutout baseball while allowing just three hits and striking out two. Five relievers picked up Miley to finish the win, and they combined to allow just one Rockies hit over the final 5 1/3 frames.
The Brewers will now rest up and await the winner of the Los Angeles Dodgers-Atlanta Braves NLDS. Los Angeles leads that series 2-0 and can advance with a win Sunday night.
Colorado's elimination marks a bitter end to what was an outstanding season for Bud Black's team, which won 91 games - the second-most in team history - and authored a memorable extra-innings victory in this year's NL wild-card game at Wrigley Field.