On Sunday night, the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 in the opener of a National League Championship Series rematch that fans had been waiting a year for. Milwaukee’s win came in a series that many expected to be a close contest, and it showed that these Brewers are a different team from the one swept by the Dodgers last year.
The moment that decided it
Rookie Luis Lara delivered the winning hit, stinging a first-pitch changeup from Tarik Skubal up the middle to score Garrett Mitchell. Mitchell had drawn a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Cooper Pratt. Milwaukee took a fifth-inning lead on a manufactured run and held it for the rest of the game.
Milwaukee’s bullpen was the star
The Brewers’ relievers were outstanding. DL Hall, Abner Uribe, Aaron Ashby and Trevor Megill combined to throw 4⅔ scoreless innings and escaped several dangerous situations. Ashby was especially important, covering two innings and inducing a pair of infield popups in the eighth from Freddie Freeman and Shohei Ohtani. Uribe also struck out a batter with runners on base to keep Milwaukee in front.
Three double plays changed the game
Milwaukee’s defence bailed out Jacob Misiorowski, who struggled early. The Brewers turned 6-4-3 double plays to end both the first and second innings. After Misiorowski left in the fifth, Hall got an inning-ending double play to stop another potential rally. Three double plays in a game the Dodgers were chasing proved decisive.
What it means for the Dodgers
Since their championship run began in 2024, this is only the second time the Dodgers have lost the opening game of a playoff series. The first came in last year’s World Series, when they bounced back to beat the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 2 with Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound. Los Angeles will turn to Yamamoto again in Game 2 on Monday at 5 p.m. ET, and a 2-0 series deficit against a team as strong as the Brewers would put real pressure on them.
Other key moments
Skubal struck out six batters through the first three innings. Misiorowski threw a 102 mph fastball. Brice Turang tied the game for Milwaukee, and Lara then gave the Brewers the lead that they never relinquished.