The 2026 NLCS is set, and it's a Dodgers vs. Brewers rematch: the Los Angeles Dodgers will face the Milwaukee Brewers for the National League pennant, with Game 1 on Sunday, Oct. 11 at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) at American Family Field in Milwaukee, televised on FOX. The best-of-seven series repeats last year's NLCS, which the Dodgers swept on their way to a second straight World Series title.
How the Dodgers and Brewers got here
The Dodgers closed out the Atlanta Braves 3-1 in the NLDS, taking Game 4 by 4-1 on Oct. 7. With the bases loaded in the seventh, Andy Pages delivered the decisive blow — a clutch single that drove in two runs and broke the game open — to send Los Angeles back to the NLCS.
The Brewers eliminated the San Diego Padres in four games, clinching with a 3-1 Game 4 win on Oct. 7. Garrett Mitchell starred on both sides of the ball: he tripled and scored the tiebreaking run in the fifth, then robbed Manny Machado of a 406-foot drive at the wall in the eighth. Four Brewers pitchers combined on a three-hitter, and it was Milwaukee's first road playoff win since the 2018 NLCS. Fernando Tatis Jr. supplied the Padres' highlight with a 429-foot homer.
The trip is the Brewers' fifth League Championship Series appearance. Milwaukee finished the regular season with 103 wins — earning home-field advantage — and took four of seven regular-season meetings from the Dodgers in 2026.
2026 NLCS schedule: start times and TV channels
MLB announced the start times on Oct. 8. Every game airs on FOX or FS1, with Spanish-language coverage on Fox Deportes; radio coverage comes from AM 570 LA Sports and ESPN Radio nationally. All times Eastern:
- Game 1: Sunday, Oct. 11 — Dodgers at Brewers, 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT), Milwaukee, FOX
- Game 2: Monday, Oct. 12 — Dodgers at Brewers, 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT), Milwaukee, FOX/FS1
- Game 3: Wednesday, Oct. 14 — Brewers at Dodgers, 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT), Dodger Stadium, FS1
- Game 4: Thursday, Oct. 15 — Brewers at Dodgers, 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT), Dodger Stadium, FS1
- Game 5*: Friday, Oct. 16 — Brewers at Dodgers, 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT), Dodger Stadium, FS1
- Game 6*: Sunday, Oct. 18 — Dodgers at Brewers, 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT), Milwaukee, FS1
- Game 7*: Monday, Oct. 19 — Dodgers at Brewers, 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT), Milwaukee, FOX/FS1
* if necessary
What to watch for in the NLCS rematch
The headline storyline is Los Angeles' pursuit of a third consecutive World Series title — no National League team has ever three-peated, and the last club to do it was the Yankees from 1998 to 2000. A third straight NL pennant would be a first since the St. Louis Cardinals of 1942-44.
Milwaukee brings the better regular-season resume: 103 wins, home-field advantage, and a 4-3 season-series edge — plus payback on its mind after last year's sweep. The winner meets the Tampa Bay Rays' ALCS opponent; the Rays await the winner of Saturday's decisive Game 5 between the White Sox and Guardians. One quirk: Monday's Game 2 starts at 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT), an afternoon first pitch after the Dodgers' run of late-afternoon NLDS starts.
The takeaway: a 103-win Brewers team with home field and revenge on its mind against a Dodgers dynasty chasing history — the NLCS rematch has the makings of the series of the postseason. First pitch is Sunday night in Milwaukee.
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Ready Aim Fire (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0