UCLA Professional Athletes

Garrett Mitchell had the Dodgers' number all NLCS long — and he saved his best for when it mattered most.

The UCLA alumnus and Milwaukee Brewers center fielder homered in back-to-back games during the Brewers' stunning four-game sweep of Los Angeles, punctuating one of the more dominant NLCS performances in recent memory and sending Milwaukee to the World Series.

Game 3: The Sequence That Broke Blake Snell

Mitchell's Game 3 moment came in a seventh-inning sequence that will be replayed for years. With the Brewers trailing 2-1, Jake Bauers worked an epic 11-pitch at-bat against Dodgers ace Blake Snell, ultimately crushing a go-ahead two-run homer to right field. Two pitches later, Mitchell went back-to-back, depositing his own shot off Snell to extend the lead. Milwaukee won 6-2, taking a commanding 3-0 series lead.

The back-to-back blast framing matters here: as Defector noted, Bauers had already spiritually won the game; Mitchell's follow-up was, by comparison, "just overkill on Snell's way out." Still, overkill counts.

Game 4: Mitchell Supplies the Go-Ahead Blow

If Game 3 was a supporting role, Game 4 was Mitchell's showcase. The Brewers fell into a 4-0 hole early before rallying, and it was Mitchell's solo home run off Tanner Scott in the sixth inning that gave Milwaukee its first lead of the game. The Brewers held on for a 6-4 win to complete the sweep and punch their World Series ticket.

Mitchell finished the series with home runs in consecutive games, a hit, a run, and an RBI in each of those outings, lifting his NLCS average to .207 across four games. The production came from a player who grew up in Southern California rooting for the Angels teams of the early 2000s — he's cited outfielder Garret Anderson as a formative influence — and who now finds himself torching the region's marquee franchise on the sport's biggest October stage.

Mitchell was one of seven Brewers on the NLCS roster who played at CIF Southern Section high schools, a Southern California pipeline that proved spectacularly ironic against the Dodgers.

The Other Bruin to Watch

Elsewhere in the postseason picture, UCLA's Gerrit Cole wrapped up a quieter October. The veteran right-hander's Yankees were swept by the Tampa Bay Rays in the NLDS, extending New York's World Series drought to 17 seasons. Cole — now in his 13th MLB season — received significant personal news in the aftermath of the playoff exit, per Heavy Sports, though his focus will quickly turn to what comes next for a Yankees rotation in need of answers.

For UCLA fans, the October story belongs to Mitchell. A World Series appearance for the Brewers means the Bruin center fielder is four wins away from a championship — and given what he just did to the best team in the National League, that's no longer a far-fetched proposition.

Garrett Mitchell's right hand might be the most important thing to happen to Milwaukee baseball in decades.

The UCLA product delivered the defining moment of the 2026 MLB playoffs so far — a leaping, wall-crashing home run robbery of Manny Machado in the eighth inning of Game 4 of the NLDS — to preserve a 3-1 Brewers lead and send Milwaukee to the NLCS. The catch, made at the Petco Park wall with the Padres threatening to tie the game, was instantly viral. Bleacher Report called it a "masterpiece." Breaking T had merch on sale before the final out was recorded.

Machado was livid on the field, and understandably so. His drive had the trajectory and exit velocity of a go-ahead home run. Mitchell took it away at the wall, and the Padres never recovered.

It was more than a single play. Mitchell went 2-for-4 with an RBI in Game 4, finishing the series with a .267 average across the games he contributed offensively. He also posted a hit and a run scored in Milwaukee's Game 1 win on October 4. For a player who missed last year's playoffs entirely due to injury, the timing couldn't be more resonant — Yahoo Sports noted that a fully healthy Mitchell has been central to the Brewers' deepest postseason run in franchise history.

Now Milwaukee advances to a rematch with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS, adding another layer of intrigue for Bruins alumni tracking the bracket.

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Cole Steadies Yankees in a Tough Week

On the other side of the bracket, fellow UCLA alum Gerrit Cole took the mound for New York in Game 1 of the ALDS against Tampa Bay — his expected role as the Yankees' ace anchor. Cole allowed a home run over five innings but was otherwise effective, per Sports Illustrated, which gave New York's pitching staff an "A+" for the game. The problem was the offense, which generated next to nothing against Drew Rasmussen, and the Rays took Game 1.

Cole and the Yankees answered with a strong pitching performance in Game 2, keeping the series alive. As of the close of the research window, New York was heading into Game 3 facing elimination pressure after being outplayed early in the series. The six-time All-Star and former Cy Young winner remained the Yankees' most important arm — and the series was far from settled.

For UCLA fans, the week offered a clear contrast in stakes: Mitchell making history in the field while Cole battles to keep New York's season alive. Both storylines have legs heading into next week.