The Milwaukee Brewers are going to the World Series for the first time in 44 years, clinching the franchise's second-ever pennant and its first since the team won the American League championship in 1982.
The clinching win ends the longest active World Series drought in the National League. Milwaukee had reached the postseason in each of the past several seasons but had never broken through to the Fall Classic since joining the NL in 1998, a 28-year stretch that included four prior trips to the League Championship Series.
The Brewers' only previous World Series appearance came in 1982, when Harvey's Wallbangers — a power-hitting club that won 95 games — lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. That team was led by Hall of Famers Robin Yount and Paul Molitor, and the city has waited more than four decades for a return trip.
Milwaukee's path back came through a roster built largely from within. The Brewers have leaned on homegrown pitching and a deep bullpen, a formula that carried them to the best record in the National League during the regular season and held up through the playoffs.
The clinching game drew a sellout crowd at American Family Field, where the Brewers have ranked among the league's strongest home draws despite playing in the sport's smallest media market. Milwaukee's metropolitan population of roughly 1.5 million is the smallest of any current MLB market.
The Brewers will open the World Series on the road against the American League champion, with Game 1 scheduled for Tuesday night. Milwaukee has never won a World Series title in franchise history, which dates to 1969, when the team played as the Seattle Pilots for a single season before relocating to Wisconsin in 1970.
Tickets for potential World Series games in Milwaukee went on sale within hours of the clinch, with the team's website reporting heavy demand. Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers issued a statement congratulating the club and its fans, calling the pennant "a win for the whole state."
