Brewers celebrate clinching win over Padres with an eye on looming NLCS showdown with Dodgers

SAN DIEGO (AP) — After yet another businesslike victory in a season full of them, the Milwaukee Brewers celebrated their National League Division Series clincher inside Petco Park on Wednesday night amid beer showers, wafting cigar smoke and countless bottles of sparkling wine individually labeled with the names of various Wisconsin cities.

The Brewers are thrilled to head home with another playoff series victory during the best stretch in team history — but they also know the Los Angeles Dodgers are going to meet them in Milwaukee this weekend.

A year after the Brewers did not appear to be ready to meet the challenge posed by the intimidating World Series champions while getting unceremoniously swept out of the NL Championship Series, this team is certain it can do better in the rematch.

The Brewers' tense NLDS win over the San Diego Padres — four games decided by five combined runs — only underlined their growing confidence in their ability to excel in October and to truly fight for this team's first championship.

“I think we have a different type of confidence and belief in ourselves together as a team,” said center fielder Garrett Mitchell, the Game 4 hero with his bat and glove. “It’s just like a quiet, subtle confidence. It’s not showboaty. It’s just everyone who’s in this clubhouse, from the front office to the staff, everyone believes. ... I also think it’s a year difference. Guys are continuing to mature. We're all excited to go out and compete and try to get it done.”

With their eighth playoff appearance in the past nine seasons off to a strong start, the Brewers are gradually knocking down the remaining barriers to their ultimate goal.

This group ended Milwaukee's 12-game road postseason losing streak since 2018 with the clincher in San Diego, executing nearly flawlessly in the process. The Brewers held the Padres to three hits and got timely hits of their own while playing exceptional defense and gradually draining the spirit from the normally frenzied Petco crowd.

“That team right there can beat anybody in baseball,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said of the Padres. “Nobody has a winning record on the road in the postseason — except maybe the Dodgers. It’s just not the way it is. The environments are so tough to play in. Yeah, so that was going to happen at some point if we keep banging on the postseason door.”

And while the Dodgers will be the biggest challenge they’ve faced, the Brewers have never been better positioned to break through.

They won a franchise-record 103 games in the regular season, topping the majors and increasing their win total for the fourth straight season while winning their fourth consecutive NL Central crown. Milwaukee then took down the 91-win Padres, who were arguably the majors’ best team in September while streaking to 19 wins in 22 games.

The Brewers won a competitive series between two teams with no World Series titles to show for 58 seasons of existence apiece. San Diego’s drought stretches on, but Milwaukee is eight wins away from ending its own.

The Dodgers are in the way, but the Brewers believe it's finally their time.

“Tonight is about us, but tomorrow we’re making a plan,” Game 4 starter Robert Gasser said. “We're trying to execute and figure out, ‘How do we go in and get two wins at home and head over to LA and take care of business there?’ We’ve played them well this year. We saw them last year in the NLCS, but we’ve got all hands on deck, and we’re ready to go.”

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Milwaukee Brewers players celebrate after the team defeated the San Diego Padres in Game 4 of baseball's National League Division Series Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, in San Diego, to advance to the National League Championship Series. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Milwaukee Brewers players celebrate after defeating the San Diego Padres in Game 4 of baseball's National League Division Series Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Derrick Tuskan)

Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Garrett Mitchell catches a ball hit by San Diego Padres' Manny Machado during the eighth inning in Game 4 of baseball's National League Division Series Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Trevor Megill celebrates after getting the final out of Game 4 of baseball's National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Milwaukee Brewers' Christian Yelich, center celebrates with teammates after the team defeated the San Diego Padres in Game 4 of baseball's National League Division Series Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, in San Diego, to advance to the National League Championship Series. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

MIES, Switzerland (AP) — The NBA and FIBA indicated Thursday that they still hope to merge with the EuroLeague, which rejected an initial offer to join forces this week.

In a joint statement, the NBA and FIBA — who plan to launch a new league in Europe as early as next year — said a “partnership between the EuroLeague, FIBA and the NBA to unify the European basketball ecosystem would unlock the game’s enormous potential across Europe for the benefit of clubs, players and, most importantly, fans."

The NBA and FIBA added they “remain committed” to the new league, which has been planned to launch in the fall of 2027.

It seems likely that merger talks will continue, with Barcelona — a EuroLeague member — saying this week that the door remains open even though the first proposal was rejected. "Should that (merger) proposal be amended in the future, the clubs and the EuroLeague will reconsider it,” the club said.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has said multiple times, and as recently as last month, that he believes the new league would benefit from “joining forces with the EuroLeague.”

“It doesn’t have to happen, but I think we all would be better off as a unified front in Europe,” Silver said at last month's Board of Governors meeting.

The NBA and FIBA formally announced their plans for an NBA Europe venture in March 2025. The new league would have some permanent franchises, with chances for others to qualify based on performance.

Many of the NBA’s top current stars hail from Europe, including San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama (France), Denver’s Nikola Jokic (Serbia), the Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic (Slovenia) and Miami’s Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece).

“For us, in terms of NBA Europe, we truly see it as a once-in-forever opportunity,” Silver said last month. “Historic from our standpoint in terms of what this could mean, not just for basketball but the European sport landscape. And we want to get it right.”

The 20-team EuroLeague is comprised of 13 shareholder clubs immune from relegation. The rest either qualify through their domestic leagues or through invitation. The NBA, in partnership with FIBA, has said it envisions a 16-team league.

See AP’s full NBA coverage here

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic smiles while walking on the floor during the second half of an NBA preseason basketball game against the Golden State Warriors, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)