The Los Angeles Dodgers are staring down a Game 1 deficit in the NLCS for the first time in five years, all thanks to the Milwaukee Brewers’ gritty 2-1 stunner at American Family Field last night. This ain’t last year’s pushover, folks. This Brewers squad, with an insane 103 wins this season and the most victories in baseball over the past two years, just showed the entire league why they’re built different.
Brewers Unleash ‘Brewer Baseball’ on the Favorites
Milwaukee’s 2-1 victory wasn’t some fluke, it was a masterclass in “Brewer baseball” through and through. Their ace, Jacob Misiorowski, set the tone, holding the Dodgers to just one run across 4 ⅓ innings. Then, the bullpen locked it down, delivering a dominant 4 ⅔ shutout innings to slam the door. Offensively, they barely scraped together six hits, but man, did they make them count with some pesky magic. We’re talking bunts, hit-and-runs, attempted stolen bases, the whole nine yards. And just to show they can go deep when it matters, second baseman Brice Turang absolutely ripped his first postseason longball. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts couldn’t help but gush about it, saying, “They play baseball. They play baseball the way it was intended. They value 90 feet. They take extra bases. They defend well. They’re athletic. They prevent runs with really good pitching and then with the defense layered in. They don’t give pitches away. They hit to all fields. And with that, they’re in every game.” That’s high praise, and it’s well earned when you knock off a team trying to become the first National League squad to snag three consecutive pennants since the St. Louis Cardinals pulled it off way back from 1942-1944. And let’s not forget, no National League team has ever won three straight World Series titles. The stakes are huge, and the Brewers just grabbed them by the throat.
Skubal’s Postseason Dominance Crumbles
This win was even sweeter because the Brewers did what no team has done in a long, long time: they rattled Tarik Skubal. The Dodgers’ two-time Cy Young winner, the dude who was the hottest name at the trade deadline and is about to become the richest pitcher in baseball history this winter when he hits free agency, just got his undefeated postseason run broken. The Brewers were the first team in Skubal’s eight career postseason games to keep him from completing six innings, forcing him to throw 81 pitches. They took him down with small ball in the fifth inning, too. Garrett Mitchell drew a leadoff walk, rookie Cooper Pratt dropped a perfect sacrifice bunt, and then fellow rookie Luis Lara slapped a clutch single up the middle to drive in Mitchell, giving the Brewers that decisive 2-1 lead. They even loaded the bases, threatening to blow the game wide open, but Skubal managed to escape when William Contreras flied out. And get this: the Brewers badly wanted Skubal at the deadline! Owner Mark Attanasio said they put in what they thought was an aggressive bid, but the Dodgers’ offer was just too good. So to beat him like this? Must feel pretty good.
This is just Game 1, but what a statement. The Brewers are clearly not going to be an easy out, and the Dodgers’ path to history just got a whole lot tougher. You gotta wonder how this will shake up the rest of the series, knowing how much both these teams wanted Skubal, and how Milwaukee just showed they can beat him.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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