“We Think We Are”: Brewers Manager Fires Back at Dodgers’ ‘Best-Team-in-Baseball’ Tag

A rematch of the 2025 NLCS is set, and the Milwaukee Brewers are coming for the Los Angeles Dodgers’ ‘best team in baseball’ tag. After holding the best record in MLB this season, the Brewers’ manager no longer believes that the Dodgers hold an advantage over them, and he is determined to prove it in the upcoming playoff series. The Brewers will have all hands on deck.

“We’re gonna be more ready than we were last time, I believe. That doesn’t guarantee anything, but we got to be ready for what they say is the best team in baseball. But we think we are. We’re going to do our best to stay with them and beat them in 7 games,” stated Brewers’ manager Pat Murphy ahead of their NLCS face-off.

Last season, the Dodgers swept the Brewers in the NLCS. Shohei Ohtani’s 10-strikeout, three-home-run gem was the biggest talking point of the best-of-seven series. Ohtani almost single-handedly dismantled the Brewers’ offense and defense in Game 4 last year.

But this season, the four-time MVP has been plagued by injuries. The Dodgers have shut down Ohtani from pitching due to his lingering knee issues. On top of that, biceps and neck soreness have also impacted his hitting.

This postseason, Ohtani has gone 2-for-13 in 4 games and is hitting .154 with only 2 walks.

However, the Dodgers just proved in the NLDS against the Atlanta Braves that their championship caliber is not dependent only on Ohtani.

The Japanese phenom is one of the driving forces of the Dodgers, but not the reason behind every postseason win. It’s a team game, and the Dodgers execute it well. Their entire roster is star-studded.

In Game 3 of the NLDS, Kiké Hernández hit a clutch two-run home run to lead his team. Then came Freddie Freeman’s solo shot, along with Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s dominant outing, in which he recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts. In Game 1, they plated 5 runs as a team, while Shotime went 0-for-3 with a walk, a run scored, and no hits.

They might not have Ohtani at 100%, but the Dodgers have added former Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal to the rotation this season. Skubal is set to take the mound against the Brewers in NLCS Game 1. He started the series opener of the NLDS against the Atlanta Braves and allowed 1 run on 2 hits in 6.0 innings.

Overpowering the Dodgers is a formidable task, and despite being confident, the Brewers manager has acknowledged the challenge as well.

“We have a monumental task ahead of us, based on what I know about the Dodgers. There’s like an All-Star at every position,” Murphy told the reporters.

LA has Freddie Freeman at first base, Max Muncy at third base, and center fielder Andy Pages – that All-Star roster has shown what they can do in the divisional series already. Muncy and Pages’ heroics were clearly visible in Game 4.

While Pages hit a go-ahead, two-run single, Muncy had a clutch solo home run (measuring 389 feet) to help their team clinch the NLDS.

“But you know what? Teams win. And we’ve got to play as a team,” continued. Murphy.

Milwaukee Brewers knocked out the San Diego Padres from the NLDS and advanced to the league championship series.

The NLCS is a best-of-seven series, and the Brewers have a 7-24 record on the road in the postseason all-time. But they also have the home-field advantage, and Murphy will surely weaponize it to beat the Dodgers and not depend on the road games to clinch the series.

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