It has been nearly a year to the day since the Milwaukee Brewers were swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series. 

On Oct. 17, 2025, after being swept, Brewers designated hitter Christian Yelich stood in the visiting clubhouse at Dodger Stadium. He made it clear that, despite the painful nature of losing, the team could not give up hope that it would make it to the World Series someday.

Now, Milwaukee has a 3-0 lead over those same Dodgers in the same place in the NLCS, and a win on Thursday would return the favor and help the Brewers capture their first pennant. 

Following the Brewers' 6-2 win in Game 3 on Wednesday, Yelich remembered that moment with MLB.com's Adam McCalvy, but he immediately made it clear that the team had not accomplished anything yet. 

Yelich, who was named the Brewers' first official team captain in franchise history on Sept. 26, is certainly embracing the role and leading by example. 

Even with the impressive advantage Milwaukee has over the Dodgers, Yelich knows how dangerous the team they are facing is, and he said the Brewers must continue to keep their head down, provide quality at-bats, make big pitches and more to beat the back-to-back World Series champions.

Despite being on the cusp of getting revenge against the team that swept them, and with the Brewers returning so many familiar faces from last year's roster, Yelich still said it is hard to draw comparisons from year to year. 

He believes that last year's team is different from this year's, but what remains true in his mind is that until Milwaukee accomplishes its goal of winning a World Series, it has not done anything yet. In Yelich's view, that needs to be the dominant mindset.

Through six postseason games so far, Yelich has done more than simply provide intangible veteran leadership. As the captain, he has also delivered results on the field, posting a .350 batting average, a .435 on-base percentage and a .400 slugging percentage in 20 at-bats.

All season, the Brewers have remained focused on the task at hand. It is what helped them achieve the best record in Major League Baseball for the second season in a row, and it is what has them one win away from the World Series.

Yelich concluded his interview with McCalvy by saying that the team cannot have divided attention, and he believes that the guys in the clubhouse have done a really good job of maintaining focus.

The captain and the Brewers are on the cusp of the Fall Classic, and if they can stick to the elements that have made them successful, the National League pennant will be theirs.