theathleticuk
MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Brewers, known for their small-ball approach and lack of home run reliance, stunned the San Diego Padres 3-2 in Game 1 of the National League Division Series. The win, their 104th of the season, set a franchise record and came in a fashion uncharacteristic of their usual style.
The Brewers, who typically win with pitching and timely hitting, saw their ace Jacob Misiorowski struggle, lasting only four innings. San Diego fouled off 30 of his 88 pitches, disrupting his command and velocity. "We were trying to battle them, and they were fouling (stuff) off," Misiorowski said. "You've got to try to make an adjustment and try to go soft, and they're fouling soft off. You kind of just do something until it sticks."
Manager Pat Murphy turned to his bullpen early, and five relievers – Antonio Senzatela, Aaron Ashby, Abner Uribe, DL Hall, and Trevor Megill – combined for five shutout innings. Megill, who notched his first four-out save of the season, escaped a harrowing ninth inning when Ty France's deep drive hit a cable above left field and landed in Jackson Chourio's glove for the final out. "It's the first time I've seen that in four years here," Megill said. "I had no idea what the ruling was until the home plate umpire came up and told me it was a live ball, no matter what."
Offensively, the Brewers managed just seven hits and stranded nine runners, but they made them count. Jackson Chourio's two-run homer tied the game in the third, and Willson Contreras' solo shot in the seventh proved to be the game-winner. "I like it that we won that way," Contreras said through an interpreter. "Obviously there's a lot of people in the public opinion that think that we're not able to connect with the big hits, with the homers. I like that today that's how the game shook out and we were able to win like that, and we were able to show that we were able to play that game as well."
Key Analysis
Despite their reputation as a small-ball team, the Brewers demonstrated they can win with power when needed. They stole two bases and induced a pickoff error but failed to score any of those runners. Their leading RBI man, Brice Turang, bunted in the first inning, and the team left more runners on base than in any game since April. Yet, the long ball bailed them out. "I just think we don't rely on it," said first baseman Jake Bauers, whose 26 homers led the team. "Our game plan is never to out-solo-shot the other team. We're just trying to put together good at bats, grind pitchers down, and take advantage of opportunities."
The Brewers have reached the postseason in eight of the last nine years but haven't advanced past this round since 2018. They may have found an ace in the hole for Game 3 in Dustin May, acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals on Aug. 3. May twirled a one-hit shutout against the Padres in June and held them to a .111 average over three starts this season. "Dustin May has had great success versus the Padres," Murphy said. "If you look at his numbers this year versus the Padres, it's better than anyone. And he's got some experience in this situation."
Logan Henderson will start Game 2 for Milwaukee, and with a 2.19 ERA since the All-Star break, he gives the Brewers further optimism. The team's official slogan is "Win Our Way," but in Game 1, they won in a way few expected. "It doesn't matter how you win," shortstop Cooper Pratt said, "as long as you win."
Originally reported by theathleticuk.