Tarik Skubal Reacts to Dodgers' MLB Playoff Exit in Video After NLCS Sweep, 'So Hard to Win'

Tarik Skubal didn't want to talk about his impending free agency following the Los Angeles Dodgers' season-ending loss on Thursday night, but he did address the difficulty of winning at the highest level.

After the Dodgers were swept by the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS, Skubal told reporters it's "so hard to win" when asked about winning in the playoffs.

"It's extremely difficult," Skubal said. "There's a lot of really good teams, a lot really talented players across the league. It's so hard to win. Seeing what the Dodgers have done the last two years, you think it's easy, but it's really not."

The Dodgers were swept in a best-of-seven playoff series for the first time since the 1966 World Series. They led at one point in all four games against the Brewers, but the late innings were a key difference between the two teams.

Milwaukee outscored the Dodgers 10-2 between innings six through nine. Another issue in the series was Los Angeles couldn't buy a hit with a runner in scoring position, going 4-of-27 in those situations.

Thursday's loss felt particularly crushing, beyond ending their season, because the Dodgers actually got a highlight moment from Shohei Ohtani. He hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the second that gave Los Angeles a 4-0 lead. It was his first home run since Aug. 18.

Those were the last runs the Dodgers scored in the game. Milwaukee scored six unanswered runs to clinch its first World Series appearance since 1982.

Skubal did his part to help the team in their quest for a third straight World Series title. He allowed three runs on seven hits with 14 strikeouts in 11 innings over two playoff starts.

The Dodgers' loss means the 1998-2000 New York Yankees remain the last MLB team to win three consecutive World Series championships.