Miguel Rojas showed up for Game 3 of the NLCS with a message stitched right into his footwear, but the Dodgers never found the spark to match it.
Rojas wore custom red Jordan-brand cleats Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium that featured the words “2026 loading...” along with images of the Dodgers’ 2024 and 2025 World Series trophies, according to the New York Post. He started at third base and hit eighth against Milwaukee left-hander Robert Gasser, going 1-for-1 with a single and a walk before leaving in the sixth inning for a pinch hitter.
By then, the Brewers had already taken control and never gave it back in a 6-2 win that pushed them to a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Milwaukee is now one victory away from its first trip to the World Series since 1982.
The night began with a familiar jolt from Jackson Chourio, who opened the game by taking Blake Snell deep for a 1-0 Brewers lead. Gasser then settled in and held Los Angeles scoreless through five innings, allowing just three hits.
The Dodgers finally cracked through in the sixth against reliever Abner Uribe. Teoscar Hernández, Kyle Tucker and Shohei Ohtani drew walks around a strikeout of pinch hitter Max Muncy, and Will Smith followed with a two-run double to center field that put Los Angeles ahead 2-1.
That edge didn’t last long. Dave Roberts turned to rookie Josue De Paula for Rojas, and when Milwaukee answered with left-hander DL Hall, Enrique Hernández batted for De Paula and struck out swinging. Tommy Edman then struck out to end the inning with two runners still in scoring position.
Milwaukee flipped the game right away in the seventh. Snell walked Andrew Vaughn to start the frame, Jake Bauers launched a two-run homer to right, and Garrett Mitchell followed with a solo shot to make it 4-2 Brewers.
The late cushion kept growing. The Brewers added a run on a wild pitch by Justin Wrobleski in the eighth and another on Joey Ortiz’s RBI single in the ninth.
Snell finished with nine strikeouts but took the loss after allowing four runs. Hall picked up the win with 2 1/3 scoreless innings, and Trevor Megill handled the final four outs for the save.
Ohtani, whose status the Dodgers said they would discuss before Game 3, started at designated hitter and went 1-for-2 with a walk.
Los Angeles came into October trying to become the first team to win three straight World Series since the Yankees from 1998 to 2000. Only one club in MLB history has climbed out of a 3-0 hole to win a best-of-seven series, the 2004 Boston Red Sox, and Roberts was on that team.
Milwaukee, which went 103-59 in the regular season for the best record in baseball, has now put the Dodgers on the brink. The Brewers were swept by Los Angeles in the 2025 NLCS.
Game 4 is set for Thursday night at Dodger Stadium, with Tyler Glasnow listed as the Dodgers’ starter. Milwaukee had not announced its starter as of Thursday morning.
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Then came the NLCS, where Milwaukee swept the Dodgers and turned the focus from what Skubal brought on the mound to what comes next around him. The uncertainty now is bigger than one October stumble, because the Dodgers still have to figure out how long they can actually keep him in the fold with the landscape around the sport potentially changing in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]