Brewers fans celebrate NLCS Game 1 win after Packers rout Bears
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — It was an exciting Sunday for Wisconsin sports fans as the Green Bay Packers defeated the Chicago Bears before the Milwaukee Brewers opened the National League Championship Series with a victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Fans from across the country made their way to Milwaukee for Game 1 of the NLCS at American Family Field, while bars throughout the area filled with people looking to make a full day out of football and baseball.
The Brewers rewarded them with a nail-biting 2-1 victory over the two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers, giving Milwaukee a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series and putting the Brewers three wins away from a World Series berth.
Kelly's Bleachers was among the Milwaukee bars packed with fans Sunday. Employees said some people arrived as early as 10 a.m. to settle in for a full day of Wisconsin sports along Bluemound Road, despite the bar opening at 11 a.m.
The day began with the Packers hosting their longtime rival, the Chicago Bears, at Lambeau Field.
Quarterback Jordan Love helped lead Green Bay to a dominant 31-7 victory, giving Packers fans plenty to celebrate before attention shifted south to Milwaukee and the Brewers' highly anticipated rematch with Los Angeles.
The Dodgers swept Milwaukee in the 2025 NLCS, adding another layer to the excitement surrounding this year's series.
Among the fans watching Sunday was Alex Giampietro of Cream City Originals, the man behind the bottle cap hats that have become increasingly visible among Brewers fans.
Giampietro was wearing one of his creations as he watched Milwaukee try to take the first step toward bringing a championship to the Cream City.
"The nerves are obviously crazy," Giampietro said. "I don't want to jinx it, but this team feels due. They feel due. I know it's a rocky start, the last series [against the Dodgers in 2025] was rocky. This is a team that can handle adversity, they proved that, I think they got the right manager for the job. I'm excited to see this team fight. I like our chances."
The overwhelming majority of the crowd at Kelly's was pulling for Milwaukee, but a few Dodgers fans also made their way into the bar.
The opposing fan bases exchanged some friendly back-and-forth throughout the night, but Brewers supporters made it clear how badly they wanted to see Milwaukee strike first in the series.
They got their wish.
The Brewers held on for the 2-1 victory, sending fans into celebration and securing the early advantage in the NLCS.
Milwaukee will look to make it two straight at home when the Brewers host the Dodgers in Game 2 at 4 p.m. Monday at American Family Field.