Major League Baseball moved Thursday’s National League Championship Series Game 4 between the Brewers and Dodgers up one hour, from 9 p.m. ET to 8 p.m. ET. For anyone wondering when do the Brewers play next, the answer is Thursday night, with first pitch now set an hour earlier.
The adjustment gives the Brewers another chance to close out a series they lead 2-0, while the Dodgers have a must-win game in front of them to stay alive. The game will be carried by Fox, FS1 and Fox One, with MLB.TV also available for subscribers.
The timing change did not come out of nowhere. Earlier Thursday, Major League Baseball also moved Rays-Guardians Game 3 from 6 p.m. ET to 1 p.m. ET because of a rain threat in Cleveland, a reminder that postseason schedules can still bend around weather even in October. The Rays and Guardians were tied 1-1 in the ALCS when that change was made.
For Los Angeles, an earlier start nudges the game to 5 p.m. PT instead of 6 p.m. PT, which can matter for when Angelenos settle in to watch and for how a crowd at Chavez Ravine fills in before first pitch. It does not change the pressure on the field. The Brewers still have a chance to finish the job, and the Dodgers still have one night to force the series deeper.
Dave Roberts added another note of interest around Shohei Ohtani on Wednesday, saying Ohtani was batting sixth and was close to finding something in batting practice. That matters because the Dodgers need offense immediately, not later, and their season now turns on whether that timing and that bat show up when the game begins Thursday.
If the Brewers hold their edge, the next question is not when they play again but whether they can end the NLCS before it shifts any further. If the Dodgers answer, the series gets one more night of urgency.
