Murphy embracing Brewers' underdog status before NLCS matchup with Dodgers

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Pat Murphy and his Milwaukee Brewers adopted an underdog mentality even as they produced the best regular-season record in the major leagues this year.

Their NL Championship Series matchup with the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers enables them to embrace that approach even more. The series starts Monday with Game 1 in Milwaukee.

The Dodgers are seeking their third World Series title in six years, boast the game’s biggest star in three-time MVP Shohei Ohtani and have a record spend of payroll and luxury tax totaling $509.5 million. The Brewers play in the smallest market in the major leagues, have never won a title and made their lone World Series appearance in 1982.

One more indication of the contrast between these teams: The Dodgers’ projected luxury tax bill of nearly $168 million exceeds Milwaukee’s entire payroll of $124.8 million.

“The Dodgers are a powerhouse. What can you say?" Murphy said.

BetMGM has established the Dodgers as minus-220 favorites, meaning it gives the Dodgers a 68.8% chance of winning the series. Someone would have to bet $220 on the Dodgers to win $100 if they take the series.

“It doesn’t matter what people say,” Brewers second baseman Brice Turang explained. “It matters what we believe in here.”

There’s one problem with the Brewers’ underdog narrative. They won all six of their regular-season meetings with the Dodgers.

No wonder Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts takes umbrage with the notion that this is a David vs. Goliath matchup.

“They’re just gritty,” Roberts said. “They’re tough. And they take on Murph’s personality. They’ve got some guys that can slug. They’ve got some athleticism. They really defend well. They can pitch well. So it’s like they’re going to be in every game. They’ve got complete buy-in, and so they’re hungry. So those things are components that are scary.”

The 2003 New York Yankees went 7-0 against Minnesota in the regular season and 3-1 against the Twins in the ALDS. Six years later, the Yankees went 7-0 against the Twins again in the regular season and swept them in the ALDS.

But the New York Mets swept the Chicago Cubs 4-0 in the 2015 NLCS despite going 0-7 against them during the regular season. And the 2007 Yankees went 6-0 in the regular season against Cleveland, which won their ALDS matchup 3-1.

San Francisco beat Kansas City in a seven-game 2014 World Series after going 0-3 again the Royals in the regular season. Detroit swept St. Louis in the 2006 regular season before getting swept by the Cardinals in the World Series.

Roberts said the Dodgers plan to start Blake Snell in the opener. Murphy didn't announce a Game 1 starter Sunday but mentioned the possibility of using an opener.

Milwaukee's Freddy Peralta and Los Angeles' Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start Game 2 on Tuesday.

Ohtani is expected to win his fourth MVP award after batting .282 with 55 homers and 102 RBIs in the regular season, but he went 1 for 18 with nine strikeouts in the Dodgers’ NL Division Series win over Philadelphia.

He homered three times in the Dodgers’ six meetings with the Brewers.

Roberts said he plans to have Ohtani pitch in one game this series. He added that Ohtani's hitting slump isn't the reason the Dodgers opted against having him pitch Game 1.

“I expect a different output from Shohei on the offensive side this series,” Roberts said. “But, yeah, pushing him back was no bearing on the offensive performance.”

The Brewers will be getting their first look at Dodgers rookie pitcher Roki Sasaki, who was injured for both of Los Angeles’ regular-season series with Milwaukee.

Sasaki has been spectacular in a bullpen role during the postseason. He has struck out five while allowing one hit and no walks in 5 1/3 shutout innings.

Milwaukee was a win from a World Series appearance in 2018 before losing 5-1 at home to the Dodgers in Game 7 of the 2018 NLCS. This marks Milwaukee’s first NLCS berth since.

Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich was the NL MVP during that 2018 season. The only other Brewers remaining from 2018 are pitchers Brandon Woodruff and Peralta. Woodruff isn’t expected to pitch in the NLCS as he deals with a right lat strain.

Jackson Chourio batted .389 with six RBIs in Milwaukee’s NLDS win over the Cubs, though he did much of his damage early in that series. Andrew Vaughn and William Contreras homered twice in the NLDS. Chad Patrick threw 4 2/3 shutout innings, while Jacob Misiorowski allowed one run over seven innings.

Milwaukee's Joey Ortiz batted .154. Turang homered in Game 5 but went 3 of 20 in the series.

Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández has hit .308 with three homers and nine RBIs in six playoff games. Mookie Betts is hitting .385 during the postseason. Snell is 2-0 and has allowed just two runs over 13 postseason innings. Tyler Glasnow threw 7 2/3 shutout innings in the NLDS.

Will Smith has gone 2 for 13 and Andy Pages is 1 of 24 in the playoffs.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell throws during batting practice ahead of Game 1 of baseball's National League Championship Series between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman tosses a ball during batting practice ahead of Game 1 of baseball's National League Championship Series between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani warms up during batting practice ahead of Game 1 of baseball's National League Championship Series between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy watches during batting practice ahead of Game 1 of baseball's National League Championship Series between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 17, 2025--

Joby Aviation, Inc. (NYSE:JOBY), a company developing electric air taxis for commercial passenger service, today announced the next three vertiports to be added to Dubai's electric air taxi network, alongside Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority (RTA) and Skyports Infrastructure, who will be responsible for building the vertiports. The sites, at the American University of Dubai, Atlantis the Royal and the Dubai Mall, will enable Joby to deliver high-speed, emissions-free connections between some of Dubai’s most high-profile destinations, as part of its six-year exclusive agreement with the RTA to establish air taxi services in the Emirate.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251117321480/en/

The news comes as Joby successfully completed a landmark flight test, becoming the first electric air taxi company to conduct a point-to-point flight in the UAE. On Sunday 9 November, Joby landed its aircraft at Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) following a 17-minute piloted flight from its test facility in Margham, underscoring Joby’s commercial market readiness and ability to operate in shared airspace. Tens of thousands of attendees will have the opportunity to see Joby’s aircraft in action at this week’s Dubai Airshow, with demonstration flights planned for each day of the show.

His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, Director General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), stated that “the successful completion of the first crewed flight of the electric aerial taxi marks a new milestone in Dubai’s distinguished record of leadership and innovation. The successful completion by Joby Aviation of the first air taxi flight between two distinct locations underscores the success of RTA’s operational framework for developing Dubai’s aerial mobility ecosystem. This milestone paves the way for a new phase of integration among smart mobility systems across the emirate, further strengthening the confidence of global partners in Dubai’s regulatory and technological environment and establishing it as a leading global platform for future mobility trials.

“RTA is steadily progressing towards the commercial launch of the aerial taxi service in 2026, solidifying Dubai’s position as the city of the future and a global hub for innovative and sustainable urban mobility solutions, combining efficient infrastructure with high quality of life," His Excellency confirmed.

JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby Aviation,said: “From flight demonstrations to infrastructure, we're making incredible progress on all fronts as we look ahead to launching commercial passenger service in Dubai next year. By working alongside the RTA, other government agencies and infrastructure partners, we’ve been able to streamline development of the world’s first air taxi service and are closer than ever to making urban air transport an everyday reality for residents and visitors across the UAE.”

Today’s vertiport announcement brings together three major Dubai property developers - Emaar Properties, Atlantis The Royal, and Wasl Asset Management Group - to deliver a network of valuable and high-traffic sites across the emirate:

Alongside the vertiport at Dubai International Airport, which is set to be completed in the first quarter of 2026, these sites will make up the initial vertiport network for Joby’s air taxi service in Dubai, which is set to launch in 2026.

About Joby

Joby Aviation, Inc. (NYSE:JOBY) is a California-based transportation company developing an all-electric, vertical take-off and landing air taxi. Joby intends to both operate its fast, quiet, and convenient air taxi service in cities around the world and sell its aircraft to other operators and partners. To learn more, visit www.jobyaviation.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including but not limited to, statements regarding the development and performance of our aircraft, the growth of our manufacturing capabilities, our regulatory outlook, progress and timing, including our plans to begin carrying passengers in 2026, timing and potential locations of our vertiports, and planned participation in the Dubai airshow; our business plan, objectives, goals and market opportunity; plans for, and potential benefits of, our strategic partnerships; and our current expectations relating to our business, financial condition, results of operations, prospects, capital needs and growth of our operations. You can identify forward-looking statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. These statements may include words such as “anticipate”, “estimate”, “expect”, “project”, “plan”, “intend”, “believe”, “may”, “will”, “should”, “can have”, “likely” and other words and terms of similar meaning in connection with any discussion of the timing or nature of future operating or financial performance or other events. All forward looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including: our ability to launch our air taxi service and the growth of the urban air mobility market generally; our ability to produce aircraft that meet our performance expectations in the volumes and on the timelines that we project; complexities related to obtaining certification and operating in foreign markets; the competitive environment in which we operate; our future capital needs; our ability to adequately protect and enforce our intellectual property rights; our ability to effectively respond to evolving regulations and standards relating to our aircraft; our reliance on third-party suppliers and service partners; uncertainties related to our estimates of the size of the market for our service and future revenue opportunities; and other important factors discussed in the section titled “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on February 27, 2025, our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on May 8, 2025 and August 7, 2025, and in future filings and other reports we file with or furnish to the SEC. Any such forward-looking statements represent management’s estimates and beliefs as of the date of this release. While we may elect to update such forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we disclaim any obligation to do so, even if subsequent events cause our views to change.

Joby’s air taxi en route from its flight test facility in Margham to Al Maktoum International Airport, marking the first electric air taxi company to conduct a point-to-point flight in the UAE. Credit: Joby Aviation