The Los Angeles Dodgers have reached the simplest and most brutal point of their season: win Thursday night or go home. The two-time defending World Series champions trail the Milwaukee Brewers 3–0 in the National League Championship Series and need four consecutive victories to keep their pursuit of a historic three-peat alive.
Milwaukee pushed Los Angeles to the brink with a 6–2 victory in Game 3 at Dodger Stadium. Jackson Chourio homered on the first pitch of the game, and although a two-run Will Smith double briefly gave the Dodgers life, Jake Bauers and Garrett Mitchell hit back-to-back home runs off Blake Snell in the seventh inning to swing the game permanently toward the Brewers.
Game 4 is scheduled for 5 p.m. Pacific on October 15 at Dodger Stadium. Los Angeles will start right-hander Tyler Glasnow, while Milwaukee lists left-hander Shane Drohan. Glasnow enters with a 1.93 postseason ERA, according to MLB’s current probable-pitcher listing.
The history facing Los Angeles is severe. MLB says 43 teams have gone ahead 3–0 in a best-of-seven postseason series. Thirty-one finished sweeps, another six ended the series in Game 5, and only one team has ever lost the first three and still advanced: the 2004 Boston Red Sox.
That exception has an unusually direct connection to this Dodgers team. Roberts was a reserve outfielder for Boston and entered Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS as a pinch-runner in the ninth inning with the Red Sox three outs from elimination. His steal of second against Yankees closer Mariano Rivera positioned him to score the tying run, helping launch the comeback that ultimately ended with Boston winning four straight games.
Now Roberts is trying to reproduce that history from the manager’s seat. Asked whether his Dodgers can escape the same 3–0 hole, Roberts said, “It’s certainly possible. I’ve lived it.” His optimism does not change the mathematics, but few managers can point to a firsthand example quite like his.
The Dodgers’ larger problem is not history — it is their offense. Los Angeles managed just five hits in Game 3, while Milwaukee has repeatedly capitalized on high-leverage opportunities. The Brewers, who finished with the National League’s best regular-season record at 103–59, are now one victory from their first World Series since 1982.
There are signs of how quickly expectations have changed in Los Angeles. Reuters reported that resale prices for Game 4 tickets fell from about $156 on Sunday to as low as $77 after the Dodgers fell behind 3–0. In Milwaukee, meanwhile, prices for a potential World Series opener have surged as fans anticipate the possibility of a pennant.
For Los Angeles, however, there is no need to contemplate four wins yet. The comeback Roberts remembers began the same way this one would have to: with one victory in Game 4. Lose Thursday, and Milwaukee goes to the World Series. Win, and baseball gets at least one more night to wonder whether history can happen twice.
