MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers keep finding new ways to scramble out of October trouble, and Saturday night brought another one.
Down four runs before most of the crowd had settled into World Series Game 2 against the Rays, Milwaukee clawed all the way back behind an unexpected hero. Sal Frelick, one of the least likely power sources in the lineup, launched a game-tying solo home run to straightaway center field in the sixth inning and turned American Family Field into a roar.
Frelick opened the inning against Tampa Bay left-hander Ian Seymour, who had just entered the game, and delivered what was easily one of the biggest swings of his career. The blast pulled the Brewers even at 4-4 after they had dug the hole in the first inning.
It was a jolting moment not just because of the situation, but because of who delivered it. Frelick hit only four home runs in the regular season and finished with a .614 OPS. Even more striking, it was just the fourth home run of his career against a left-handed pitcher, including the postseason, and his first since Opening Day on March 26 against White Sox southpaw Tyler Gilbert.
The homer fit a larger October pattern for Milwaukee. The Brewers have now hit five left-on-left home runs in 10 postseason games, matching their highest total in any single month during the regular season.
This is becoming a team that has made a habit of dealing with adversity. Milwaukee entered Game 2 with a 40-37 record when allowing the first run this season, including the playoffs. Excluding 2020, the last team to finish a full season with a winning record in those games was the 2009 Yankees, who went 43-41 on their way to a World Series title.
And the comeback itself dropped the Brewers into rare company. Only four teams in postseason history have pulled off two comeback wins of at least four runs in the same year: the Yankees in 1996, the Angels in 2002, the White Sox in 2005 and the Phillies in 2022.
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