MLB World Series 2026: the Brewers sweep the Dodgers to reach the World Series, and the Rays and Guardians are tied 2-2 in the ALCS with two wins each still needed

The National League Championship Series ended on Friday, October 16, Korea time. Top seed Milwaukee won Games 1 and 2 at home against second seed Los Angeles, 2-1 and 7-4, then won Game 3 6-2 in Los Angeles at 9 a.m. on Thursday, October 15 and Game 4 6-4 at 9 a.m. on October 16 to finish the series 4-0. That is the earliest finish our previous piece gave: Milwaukee winning Games 3 and 4 and closing it out in Game 4 on the road. Milwaukee outscored the Dodgers 21-11 over the four games, and only Game 1 was decided by one run. Milwaukee now waits for the winner of the American League Championship Series.

Every result and date here comes from the ESPN postseason data behind this site's postseason page and series pages. The cut-off is early Monday, October 19, Korea time, before ALCS Game 5. Dates and times are Korea time, with the US date added where it helps. When each series can end was worked out by going through every way its remaining games can fall. This piece covers results and the arithmetic of the games left only, with no forecasts and no probabilities.

Milwaukee is 7-1 in eight games this postseason: 4-0 at home and 3-1 on the road. Its only loss was Division Series Game 3 in San Diego, 4-3. It has scored 34 runs and allowed 21. The top seed in the National League at 103-59 in the regular season, Milwaukee skipped the Wild Card round and beat San Diego 3-1 in the Division Series. The Dodgers beat Atlanta 3-1 in the Division Series but lost all four games of this series and finish the postseason 3-5.

The American League Championship Series has gone back and forth for four games. Second seed Cleveland won Game 1 7-3 in Tampa Bay on Tuesday, October 13, and top seed Tampa Bay won Game 2 at home 3-1 on Wednesday, October 14. In Cleveland, Cleveland won Game 3 3-2 at 2 a.m. on Friday, October 16, and Tampa Bay won Game 4 7-3 at 9 a.m. on Sunday, October 18. Each club is 1-1 at home and 1-1 on the road, and Tampa Bay has outscored Cleveland 15-14. The Korea dates and times of Games 3 to 6 have changed since our previous piece: Game 3 was at 2 a.m. on October 16, Game 4 was played at 9 a.m. on October 18 rather than on October 17, Game 5 is at 6 a.m. on October 19 and Game 6 at 9 a.m. on October 20.

The games left are Game 5 in Cleveland at 6 a.m. on Monday, October 19 (Sunday afternoon, October 18 in the US), and Games 6 and 7 in Tampa Bay at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, October 20 and Wednesday, October 21. Only Game 7 is if necessary. Each club needs two wins from the three games left and can lose only one. The Game 5 winner leads 3-2 and finishes the series by also winning Game 6 on October 20. If the other club wins Game 6, the series is level at 3-3 and the winner of Game 7 on October 21 goes to the World Series. Games 6 and 7 are both in Tampa Bay, so whichever club wins, the series ends in Tampa Bay on October 20 or 21: Cleveland would finish it on the road and Tampa Bay at home.

Across the whole postseason, Tampa Bay is 5-2 (3-1 at home, 2-1 on the road). It skipped the Wild Card round and swept the Yankees 3-0 in the Division Series. Cleveland is 5-4 (2-3 at home, 3-1 on the road), having come back from 0-2 down with three straight wins against the White Sox in the Division Series. In the regular season Tampa Bay went 98-64 and Cleveland 85-77.

The World Series is a best of seven with a 2-3-2 home pattern. Games 1 and 2 are in Milwaukee at 9 a.m. on Saturday, October 24 and Sunday, October 25; Games 3 and 4 at the American League champion's park at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, October 27 and Wednesday, October 28, and Game 5 there at 9 a.m. on Thursday, October 29; and Games 6 and 7 back in Milwaukee at 9 a.m. on Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1. Games 5 to 7 are played only if needed. Game 1 is on Friday night, October 23, in the US. Home advantage goes to the club with the better regular-season record, and Milwaukee's 103-59 is better than both Tampa Bay's and Cleveland's, so Game 1 is in Milwaukee whoever the opponent is. A club needs four wins, so the World Series ends no earlier than Game 4 on Wednesday, October 28 and no later than Game 7 on Sunday, November 1.

Milwaukee plays World Series Game 1 eight days after Game 4 on October 16. The American League champion opens four days after Game 6 if the series ends on October 20, or three days after Game 7 if it goes to October 21. Korea start times for every game are also on the schedule page and on the series pages for the ALCS and the World Series.

Each club's page shows where it stands in the postseason: Milwaukee, through to the World Series; Tampa Bay and Cleveland, still playing the ALCS; and the Dodgers, out in the NLCS. Every series and the bracket are on the postseason page. The arithmetic after the first games of both League Championship Series is in our previous piece, and the seeding and tiebreaker rules are in our explainer. This site's clinch and tragic numbers are a regular-season calculation and stay frozen at the final standings of September 28.