Luis Lara didn’t arrive in Milwaukee with much buzz, and he certainly didn’t arrive with a résumé built for October. But on Sunday night, in Game 1 of the 2026 NLCS, the rookie right fielder delivered the swing that sent the Brewers to a 2-1 win over the two-time defending World Series champs at American Family Field.
Batting eighth against Tarik Skubal, the winner of the last two AL Cy Young Awards, Lara looked like a player being asked to survive on baseball’s biggest stage. That’s not where he’s made his money this season.
The 5-foot-7 outfielder has been known more for his defense than his bat, and his rookie numbers reflect that: a .246/.311/.325 line in 61 games since his early-July call-up. Even back at Double-A Biloxi last year, his bat was modest at .257/.369/.343.
What he has consistently brought is glove work, including a minor-league Gold Glove for the entire minors a year ago, and he’s backed that up with several sparkling plays this season.
Still, the Brewers put Lara in the lineup because of the matchup. He’s a switch-hitter, and with Sal Frelick, a left-handed hitter, sharing time in right field, Lara got the nod against Skubal.
His first trip ended the way a first trip against a pitcher like that often does. Leading off the bottom of the third, Lara saw four pitches, took a ball to start, then got two pitches in the zone before missing a 97.6 mph sinker above the strike zone.
The adjustment showed up in his next chance.
In the bottom of the fifth, Garrett Mitchell worked a four-pitch walk, and Cooper Pratt, who reached the majors about a month before Lara, bunted him to second. This time, Lara didn’t let Skubal get ahead.
On the first pitch he saw, the 21-year-old jumped on a changeup and chopped it through the middle into center field, bringing Mitchell home without a play. Just like that, Milwaukee had a 2-1 lead.
That was the biggest hit of Lara’s young career, and it came after a season in which he forced his way onto the roster with better offense. He hit .321/.432/.470 in his first 78 games at Triple-A Nashville, which helped earn him a seven-year, $31 million contract during the season. That deal came in below the eight-year, $50,750,000 pact given to Pratt, though Pratt also mans shortstop, a more important position.
Lara’s path to this point has also been shaped by the Brewers’ platoon plan. Because he splits time with Frelick, he had only one game in the NL Division Series against the San Diego Padres.
He started Game 1 against left-hander Robbie Ray and went 0-for-3, then later came off the bench to pinch-run for William Contreras in the ninth inning of the Game 3 loss. In between, he watched and learned.
On Sunday, he was front and center again, this time against a lineup full of postseason giants like Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. He’ll probably be back on the bench for Monday’s Game 2, with the Dodgers sending World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a right-hander, to the mound.
Lara could still find a spot as a pinch-hitter against left-handed relievers such as Alex Vesia and Tanner Scott. He should also get another start when Blake Snell takes the ball, likely in Game 3.
For now, though, the story belongs to the rookie who showed up in the right moment and made the biggest swing of the night. If the Brewers keep rolling and make it back to the World Series, that hit will sit even deeper in the franchise’s memory.
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 🡒]