The Brewers wanted Sunday night to feel different, and Game 1 of the NLCS gave them exactly that.
Milwaukee didn’t need a messy Los Angeles meltdown or a string of free outs to claim the opener. Instead, the Brewers beat the Dodgers with the kind of game they’ve built their identity around: sturdy defense, quality pitching, one huge swing, and a run assembled from the bottom of the lineup. Against Tarik Skubal and a Dodgers club full of star power, that was enough to grab a 1-0 lead in the series and send a clear message that this group is not built like last year’s team.
Brice Turang provided the turning point. After Skubal had worked through the first three innings, Turang opened the fourth with a left-on-left homer that erased Los Angeles’ 1-0 edge.
The at-bat started with two sharp takes on four-seam fastballs off the outside corner before Skubal came back inside with a sinker. Turang had already seen that pitch once in the game, when he fouled one off his right knee in his first trip to the plate, and this time he made the adjustment, staying inside the ball and driving it the other way into the Brewers’ bullpen beyond the left-center field wall.
“I didn't want to foul a ball off my knee again," said Turang after the game before adding that he told himself, "I’m going to stay inside of this one. Not try to do too much, just drive back up the middle and get inside of it...I just got it."
That swing did more than tie the score. It knocked Skubal out of his rhythm and opened the door for Milwaukee’s next move.
In the fifth, Garrett Mitchell drew a leadoff walk, rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to move him up, and rookie right fielder Luis Lara followed with a single up the middle to bring Mitchell home. It was Lara’s first postseason hit and first postseason RBI, and it put Milwaukee ahead for good.
When asked afterward if that go-ahead knock was a “dream moment,” Lara kept the focus bigger than himself. "The dream for me is to win the World Series...Obviously very happy that I was able to come through for my teammates and that we were able to get the win."
Milwaukee’s bullpen did the rest. DL Hall, Abner Uribe, Aaron Ashby, and Trevor Megill combined to protect the lead, and the Brewers’ relief group has now allowed just one earned run across 23.2 postseason innings after adding 4.2 more on Sunday night.
The win mattered because it came without Milwaukee being at its best. Jacob Misiorowski wasn’t dominant, and the Dodgers’ plan to foul pitches off and extend at-bats worked well enough to push him out after 4.1 innings and 94 pitches.
His only blemish was the second-inning sequence that began with a leadoff walk to Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani reached third on a single by Teoscar Hernández and scored on a seeing-eye single through the right side by Andy Pages.
Misiorowski’s final line still left the game tied 1-1 when he exited, and the Brewers had already shown enough resilience to make the rest of the night theirs.
For Milwaukee, that’s the bigger point. This was the kind of game the Brewers believe they can keep winning, and Sunday night backed that belief up.
In Other News...
Brice Turang Gave The Brewers Exactly What This NLCS Opener Needed
The NLCS opener had the feel Milwaukee needed from the start: tight pitching, clean defense, and a crowd that kept leaning into every small break. Brice Turang was in the middle of all of it, helping the Brewers stay attached in a game where run prevention mattered almost as much as run scoring, and where one sharp play or one well-timed swing could change the entire mood.
Turang supplied both. His defense helped Milwaukee navigate an early jam and keep the deficit from growing, then he came through with the kind of home run that can tilt a playoff game and settle a dugout. With the bullpen backing him up and the atmosphere building around him, the Brewers had exactly the sort of jolt they were hoping for in a series opener like this, even if the full impact of that night was still left to be decided. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Won Their Way But One NLCS Concern Just Got Bigger
The Brewers opened the National League Championship Series with exactly the kind of tense, low-scoring win they needed, slipping past the Dodgers 2-1 in Game 1. Jacob Misiorowski did not have his cleanest night, but Milwaukees bullpen picked up the slack with 4 2/3 scoreless innings, and the defense helped steady everything with three double plays as the Brewers kept the game from getting away.
Misiorowskis fastball was not fooling enough hitters, and the shortened outing only sharpens the attention on how Milwaukee will handle the rest of this series. The Brewers won the opener anyway, which is the important part, but against a lineup like Los Angeles, they will need more than run prevention and clean gloves if the concern around their young starter grows into a bigger issue. [Read more 🡒]
Pat Murphy Sounds All In On Jackson Chourios October Moment
As the Brewers turn their attention to the Dodgers, Pat Murphy made it clear that Jackson Chourio has been one of the defining reasons Milwaukee has been able to keep its October run alive. The left fielder has stood out for the kind of all-around impact that matters most this time of year, with Murphy pointing to his steady defense, consistent approach and knack for coming through when the pressure rises.
Chourio has also given Milwaukee needed production at the plate in the postseason, becoming a central part of the offense in key moments. His work so far has already changed the feel of the Brewers October, and with a matchup like this one looming, the attention on what he can do next only figures to grow. [Read more 🡒]