Jake Bauers won the 2026 National League Championship Series MVP award after nearly retiring two years earlier, a decision reversed by his wife’s pregnancy.

The 2024 season appeared to mark the end of his MLB journey after a disappointing year with the Milwaukee Brewers pushed him toward retirement. However, his growing family and its health insurance needs convinced him to continue playing.

Two years later, Bauers went 4-for-14 with one double, one home run and six RBIs in four games against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.

He helped Milwaukee reach its first World Series since 1982, completing a remarkable journey from considering retirement to becoming a central figure in the Brewers’ historic run.

Bauers felt physically exhausted after the 2024 season. He and his wife had welcomed their daughter, while his future remained uncertain because he was entering free agency with limited interest around MLB.

“I was beat up after a long season — we had our daughter, we didn’t necessarily know what was next. I was a free agent, there wasn’t a lot of interest around the league. And so I just felt like it could’ve been time to move on.” Bauers told ABC News.

Bauers hit .202 in 84 games with the New York Yankees in 2023 before being traded to Milwaukee. He regressed further with the Brewers, hitting .199 in 116 games during 2024 before entering free agency.

After playing for five MLB franchises, Bauers planned to become a stay-at-home father while his wife, Lauren, returned to her full-time teaching position.

One week after Bauers called his agent to discuss retirement, Lauren learned that she was pregnant.

Because she could not immediately return to full-time work and the family urgently needed health insurance, Bauers postponed retirement and gave baseball another opportunity. Lauren recalled that their need for insurance drove the decision.

“The story goes, ‘We do need health insurance,’” Lauren explained.

Bauers committed to changing his approach, and Milwaukee re-signed him.

He hit .266/.389/.484 with an .874 OPS, 26 home runs, 86 RBIs, 11 stolen bases, 22 doubles and 93 runs scored in 144 games this season.

Bauers helped the Brewers win a franchise-record 103 games and move within four victories of their first World Series title. He also became one of the leading figures in eliminating the Dodgers, the 2024 and 2025 World Series champions.

In Game 3 of the National League Championship Series, Bauers outsmarted two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell. After hitting five two-strike foul balls, he drove the 11th pitch of the at-bat 412 feet over the right-field wall for a go-ahead two-run home run.

In Game 4, Bauers delivered a two-run ground-rule double that reduced an early deficit before drawing a bases-loaded walk that forced home the tying run.

Bauers attributed his turnaround to disregarding results, concentrating on competition, remaining present and staying out of his own way.

“I think what changed for me this year was I stopped caring about results,” Bauers said. “I started caring about competing; I started caring about being in the moment and getting out of my own way.”

The World Series adds another full-circle connection. Both Championship Series MVPs debuted with the opposing franchises in 2018: Freddy Peralta with Milwaukee and Bauers with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Bauers’ persistence allowed him to transform uncertainty into opportunity. He stopped allowing outcomes to control his confidence and built an approach around competing through every pitch.

His patience, concentration and refusal to concede difficult at-bats became decisive against Los Angeles.

Retirement once appeared imminent, but Bauers remained available when his family needed stability and turned that decision into the defining season of his career.