For much of the 2025 campaign, the Milwaukee Brewers have been a revelation. Under the lead of second-year manager Pat Murphy, the Brewers finished the regular season with the best record in the majors, helping them earn the No. 1 seed in the National League playoff picture and home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
And yet, after taking down the Chicago Cubs in the NLDS, they have quickly dug a hole for themselves, as they lost both Games 1 and 2 of the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers in front of a home crowd at American Family Field. Now, they have to find a way to earn a victory in Game 3, and ahead of the action, Murphy sent a strong message to his team that will surely get them fired up.
Pat Murphy Doesn’t Hold Back on Importance of Brewers’ Game 3 Action
There may not be two more different teams in the majors than Milwaukee and Los Angeles. Simply put, the Dodgers are a behemoth. With an incredibly expensive payroll and loads of superstars, they are perennially expected to make a World Series run, and after winning it all last season, they are just two wins away from having a shot to repeat as champions.
The Brewers, on the other hand, have found a way to maximize the contributions of everyone who has donned their uniform. As a small-market team, Milwaukee doesn’t have the financial firepower that L.A. has. And for the entire regular season, it didn’t matter. With the lights shining at their brightest, though, that narrative has begun to change.
This is a situation that several small-market teams have found themselves in recently, as they have put together terrific regular-season campaigns, only to falter in the playoffs. Murphy knows that, with his team staring at a 0-2 deficit, the pressure is as high as it’s ever been. And yet, he reminded his team ahead of Game 3 that they still have a fantastic shot at taking down the Dodgers and advancing to the World Series.
“This is more an opportunity than anyone knows,” Murphy said, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. “If I was to tell this group after their 0-4 starts with the worst run differential in baseball history, ‘Hey, you’re four games from the World Series,’ you’d take it.”
“Whatever that mountain is, we’ll take it. Whatever has happened in the past, has happened in the past … There’s a lot of reason to doubt. There’s a lot of daunting scenarios out there. But it’s not time to think, complain or explain. It’s time to go.”
Brewers Facing Must-Win Situation in Game 3 vs. Dodgers
GettyBrewers’ manager Pat Murphy sent a strong message to his team ahead of Game 3
Not only are the Brewers in a 0-2 hole, but they now have to travel out west to Dodger Stadium and find a way to win in a hostile environment. It’s not going to be easy, but Milwaukee has been counted out time and again this season, so in a way, they are used to being in the sort of challenging situation that they currently find themselves in.
Game 3 is about as close to a must-win game for the Brewers as it can possibly be. Sure, they could lose and still be alive, but the odds of overcoming a 0-3 deficit aren’t great. In order to give itself a fighting shot in this series, Milwaukee has to win when it takes the field on Thursday. Tyler Glasnow will be taking the mound for the Dodgers, while the Brewers have yet to officially reveal who will draw the start for them in this one. First pitch is scheduled for 6:08 p.m. ET.
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