Dodgers vs. Brewers NLCS Game 1: Sunday 8 p.m. ET, Misiorowski faces Skubal in Milwaukee

The Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers — the two best records in the National League this season — open the 2026 NLCS on Sunday night at American Family Field, with first pitch set for 8 p.m. ET on FOX. It is the third time in eight years these franchises have met in the League Championship Series, and for Milwaukee, it is a chance to finally get past a team that swept them in four games just one year ago.

The Brewers finished the regular season 103-59, the best record in the NL, while the Dodgers went 100-62. Milwaukee eliminated the San Diego Padres 3-1 in the NLDS; Los Angeles dispatched the Atlanta Braves 4-1 in four games.

Coming into the postseason, you had a feeling you were going to have to go through L.A. They're back-to-back champs, and they're a great team. We have a lot of respect for those guys. At the same time, we feel like we can play with anybody when we play our game. When we play our brand of baseball, when we play clean and execute, we're a really hard team to beat. We're going to go in there and grind.— Christian Yelich, Brewers designated hitter

The pitching matchup is the immediate story. Milwaukee sends right-hander Jacob Misiorowski, who led all of Major League Baseball this season in ERA (1.80), strikeouts (252), WHIP (0.80), and opponents' average (.157). His first pitch of NLDS Game 1 registered 104.8 mph — the fastest postseason pitch in the pitch-tracking era, which dates to 2008, according to MLB.com. Against the Dodgers specifically, across two regular-season starts and one NLCS relief appearance, Misiorowski carries a 1.59 ERA with 27 strikeouts and just three walks in 17 innings.

Los Angeles counters with left-hander Tarik Skubal, who posted a 12-7 record and 2.72 ERA in the regular season and owns a 1.97 ERA across seven career postseason starts. In his NLDS Game 1 outing against Atlanta, Skubal struck out seven over six innings of one-run ball, according to MLB.com.

For the Dodgers, the series represents a bid for a third consecutive World Series title. For the Brewers, it is their fifth LCS appearance in franchise history — and the history with Los Angeles is painful: a seven-game loss in 2018, then a sweep last year in which Brewers hitters were shut down by Dodgers starting pitchers.

In this sport, you can't carry previous postseasons into this postseason. Everything is a new chapter. Every time you take the field in October, you get an opportunity to rewrite your story.— Kiké Hernández, Dodgers utility man

Both offenses carry concerns heading in. Shohei Ohtani, who is managing right biceps and left knee issues, is hitting just .154 this postseason and has been dropped in the Dodgers' lineup. Catcher Will Smith is batting .063. On the other side, Milwaukee's William Contreras led the majors with 24 RBIs in September and Jackson Chourio has delivered clutch RBI production through the NLDS. The Brewers ranked first in MLB this season in batting average (.258) and on-base percentage (.341), and fifth in stolen bases (152), building runs through contact and patience rather than power.

Milwaukee's bullpen was dominant against San Diego — a 0.47 ERA across 19 innings in four games — led by left-hander Aaron Ashby, right-hander Abner Uribe, and closer Trevor Megill. The Dodgers leaned on Edwin Díaz, who saved the final two games of the NLDS, with Tanner Scott also available in high-leverage situations.

On the injury front, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is managing Ohtani (right biceps, left knee) and Freddie Freeman (right knee) through the postseason. Miguel Rojas exited NLDS Game 3 with lower back pain and his availability for the start of the NLCS is uncertain. Blake Treinen (right shoulder inflammation) is unlikely to pitch this postseason, per MLB.com.

Why it matters — The NL's two best teams — one chasing a third straight title, the other seeking its first pennant — meet in a rematch that will test whether Milwaukee can finally solve a Dodgers club that has beaten them in each of their last two postseason meetings.

Reported by yahoo.com, cbssports.com, mlb.com