The Milwaukee Brewers were swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in last year’s National League Championship Series before responding with a sweep of their own this year.

It marked the first revenge sweep in any major North American sports league, with one team completing a 4-0 sweep one year after suffering a 4-0 sweep against the same opponent.

However, Brewers catcher William Contreras offered an honest assessment of what happened when Los Angeles eliminated Milwaukee last year.

Contreras acknowledged that the sweep was terrible and understood why Milwaukee lost considerable outside belief afterward.

Contreras experienced the series from both perspectives. He studied the Dodgers while catching and faced their pitchers when hitting. Based on that view, he believed Los Angeles was the fortunate team last season.

“The playoff series against the Dodgers, we got swept…… It was terrible. I understand why there was not so much belief in us after a loss like that,” Contreras wrote for The Players’ Tribune.

“But if you want the truth, I’ll tell you, because I was there,” Contreras continued. “I’m the one who saw it from both sides, right? I’m behind the plate for their side … and I’m at the plate for our side. Here’s the truth: The Dodgers were the lucky team last season.”

He clarified that he was not claiming the Dodgers were undeserving of advancing to the World Series or winning it. Contreras described Los Angeles as an outstanding team filled with outstanding players and refused to diminish what it accomplished.

His argument focused specifically on the 4-0 result. Contreras did not believe the sweep accurately represented how closely matched the Brewers and Dodgers were.

Los Angeles made the necessary plays and received favorable breaks. As the series progressed, Milwaukee’s players began overthinking the situation and wondering whether the Dodgers had discovered some form of October magic.

“No, I’m not saying they were lucky to be champions,” Contreras continued.

“Of course not. It’s a tremendous team, with tremendous players. I’ll take nothing away from them. But were they lucky to SWEEP us? That’s a different story.

“Between their team and our team, 4-0, that wasn’t the gap. But they made the plays, got the breaks, and by the end of the series we were in our own heads. We’re thinking, Those guys…….. they found the magic. How else do you explain it???” Contreras explained.

The Brewers reversed the outcome this year, but Contreras did not change his perspective simply because Milwaukee benefited from the sweep.

He acknowledged that the Brewers were probably fortunate to eliminate Los Angeles in four games, just as he believed the Dodgers had been fortunate to sweep Milwaukee the previous year.

Contreras also refused to portray the Brewers as unstoppable. His experience taught him how quickly momentum can change in baseball. Performing well during one series does not guarantee that the same success will continue into the next round.

“And just like last year when they swept us, and I said they were lucky to do that, I know this year we were probably lucky to sweep them,” Contreras noted.

“I won’t sit here and tell you the Brewers are unstoppable. I’ve been around. I know how quickly things can change in this game. Being hot in your last series, it doesn’t mean you stay hot in your next one.”

That unpredictability explains why the postseason becomes such an emotional roller coaster. Every pitch can alter the direction of a series, and the team considered best is never guaranteed to advance.

A difficult bounce, an unfortunate break or a ballpark-specific ground rule can completely change a team’s fate.

Contreras understands those margins better than most because of his position behind the plate. He sees how pitch selection, defensive execution and a single missed opportunity can transform an inning before affecting an entire series.

His willingness to call both sweeps fortunate also demonstrated consistency. Contreras did not alter his argument after Milwaukee became the beneficiary. He recognized that dominating a result does not always mean one team was overwhelmingly superior.

That perspective should help the Brewers enter the World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays without assuming their recent success will continue automatically.

Contreras respects how quickly baseball can punish overconfidence and understands that Milwaukee must create new momentum rather than depend on the previous round.

He and the Brewers are four victories away from winning the first World Series title in franchise history. Their sweep of Los Angeles brought them there, but Contreras knows it guarantees nothing about what happens next.