The Brewers will carry a 2-0 National League Championship Series lead from Milwaukee to Los Angeles, a far different October trip than the one they made a year ago. Then, the Dodgers swept Milwaukee out of this round. Now the Brewers have taken both home games and arrive in California with a deeper reservoir of confidence, a battle-tested clubhouse and a bullpen that has helped turn close games into wins.
Game 3 is scheduled for Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET, 7 p.m. CT and 5 p.m. PT, with FS1, FOX Deportes and FOX One carrying the broadcast.
Milwaukee’s edge has been built on more than talent. The club has defended, pitched and handled the small details with the discipline of a team that understands how little room postseason baseball leaves for mistakes. For several Brewers, that education included Venezuela’s World Baseball Classic title run in March.
Venezuelan championship experience returns in October
Jackson Chourio, William Contreras, Antonio Senzatela, Angel Zerpa and field coordinator Néstor Corredor were part of Team Venezuela’s championship club at Miami’s loanDepot park. That tournament put them in packed ballparks, in front of a passionate Venezuelan following, with every game carrying elimination-game intensity.
Corredor believes those March games helped prepare the players for the atmosphere surrounding an NLCS.
“Chourio, Contreras and Senzatela have already been through difficult environments,” Corredor said. “In Miami, Venezuela’s fans filled the place and made every moment feel enormous. That kind of pressure showed them what they could do on a demanding stage, and it has mattered here.”
Chourio had already pointed to his time with Venezuela and the Águilas del Zulia of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League as valuable preparation for big-league October. His production has backed that up. He owns Milwaukee’s postseason franchise marks with five home runs and 17 RBIs.
Winter baseball has long supplied young Latin American players with a different kind of schooling: a short season, urgent standings and a nightly expectation to win. Corredor, who previously managed Águilas del Zulia, sees that environment as a useful proving ground.
“Winter ball asks players to think differently,” Corredor said. “You play to win that day, and you learn the habit of winning. I strongly believe young players should experience it at some point. Chourio shows why that mentality can be so valuable.”
A clubhouse with tournament miles
The Brewers’ World Baseball Classic connections extend beyond the Venezuelan group. Brice Turang started at second base for Team USA in the championship game against Venezuela. Abner Uribe played for the Dominican Republic, Joey Ortiz represented Mexico, and Bo Naylor and Tyler Black suited up for Canada.
Not every one of those players is on Milwaukee’s current NLCS roster, but the tournament touched a substantial portion of the organization. They played in March games that had a playoff feel long before the major league postseason began.
Corredor said the Venezuelan players have spoken often about trying to bring the same formula that worked in the Classic into Milwaukee’s push for the franchise’s first World Series championship. A title would send the Brewers to their second Fall Classic and their first since 1982.
“There are five or six Venezuelans around this club, and we talk about those memories,” Corredor said. “Facing teams such as the Dodgers and San Diego one day at a time, that experience gives us something extra. Winning the Classic gave us confidence.”
He sees familiar traits in the two championship pursuits: strong defense, quality pitching, an ability to execute the small plays and chemistry that holds up when the games tighten.
“That Venezuela team had so many elite players, and this group has that kind of talent too,” Corredor said. “Playing with teammates like Contreras and Christian Yelich makes a difference. Both teams have had strong chemistry, and that has been a big part of their success.”
Different Brewers, different October
Milwaukee’s 2026 club has another year together behind its core, along with a few additions that have fit cleanly into the room. Corredor described the difference from last season’s team as experience paired with a clearer understanding of its own identity.
“This is a more experienced club that is closer together,” he said. “Most of the core has had another season side by side, and the new guys have contributed in a major way. The confidence is there. They know what they do well, and they are not trying to become something else.”
That approach has put the Brewers two wins from the World Series. The setting changes in Los Angeles, and the Dodgers will have their home crowd behind them, but Milwaukee heads west looking much less like the club that was swept a year ago—and much more like a team comfortable with October’s biggest moments.
