The Milwaukee Brewers left Game 2 of the National League Championship Series with more than a 7-4 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. They also walked out with a piece of postseason history.
Milwaukee’s bullpen turned in five perfect innings, striking out seven Dodgers and shutting the door after the game tightened in the fifth. According to MLB’s Sarah Langs, that’s the most perfect innings ever thrown by a team bullpen in a single postseason game.
The relievers were asked to handle a tense spot, too. In the top of the fifth, Logan Henderson misfired on a Tommy Edman sacrifice bunt after a double, allowing the game to flip into a 3-3 tie with the potential go-ahead run at third and nobody out. The Brewers needed someone to stop the damage right there, and the bullpen did exactly that.
Dustin May let his inherited runner score, but he retired the other three hitters he faced. From there, Milwaukee’s relievers ripped off 15 straight outs to finish the game.
Jojo Romero, acquired by Milwaukee in the same deadline trade as May, punched out two hitters in a perfect sixth. Then Abner Uribe and Aaron Ashby handled the final nine outs, with Uribe working four and Ashby going five.
That kind of load has become normal for this group. Uribe has appeared in all six of Milwaukee’s postseason games, while Ashby has gotten into five. The Brewers are 5-0 in the postseason when Ashby takes the mound.
The bullpen’s clean night lined up with the offense finally stretching things out. Milwaukee scored seven runs and posted its biggest lead of the postseason, becoming the first time this October the Brewers were ahead by more than two runs.
Through six postseason games, Milwaukee relievers have put together a 0.38 ERA, allowing just one earned run in 28.2 innings. In the five games the Brewers have won, the bullpen hasn’t allowed a run.
So while William Contreras had the big night at the plate, the story of Game 2 may well be the group behind him. Thanks to the bullpen, the Brewers head home with a 2-0 series lead over the Dodgers, and the conversation around this matchup is only going to get louder.
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