MILWAUKEE — Brewers Take Game 1 Against Padres

William Contreras hit a go-ahead home run in the seventh inning, leading the Milwaukee Brewers to a 3-2 victory over the San Diego Padres in their NL Division Series opener on Saturday night. The game had some tense moments, especially when Ty France’s potential homer hit the roof of American Family Field but was caught by outfielder Jackson Chourio for an out.

In the ninth inning, with one out and a runner on first, France sent a tall fly ball towards the roof where it struck a railing before landing in fair territory. Chourio made the catch on the left-field warning track, which counted as an out based on stadium rules. The Padres challenged the play, arguing that it should’ve been a foul ball, but the call stood.

Jackson Merrill later lined out to right field, sealing the game for the Brewers. Chourio also contributed a two-run homer, helping Milwaukee achieve its 16th win in 19 games. Meanwhile, San Diego faced its fourth loss in the last 24 games, despite breaking through against Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski, who left after four innings.

The series continues on Sunday with Game 2, set to feature San Diego’s Michael King (12-10, 3.21 ERA) against Milwaukee’s Logan Henderson (11-3, 2.47).

Contreras, who had struggled against the Padres this season with just one hit in 20 at-bats, provided the key hit of the game with a 406-foot blast off Adrian Morejon. As he rounded first base, he celebrated with his teammates in the dugout.

This moment also marked a milestone as he and his brother, Willson Contreras of Boston, became the fifth set of brothers to hit home runs in the same postseason, joining the likes of Ken and Clete Boyer, Sandy and Roberto Alomar, Stephen and J.D. Drew, and Bo and Josh Naylor.

San Diego missed multiple scoring opportunities throughout the game, especially in the latter innings. They loaded the bases in the seventh against Abner Uribe, but DL Hall was able to get Merrill to fly out, ending the threat.

Again in the eighth, the Padres had runners on first and second with one out after Hall walked two batters, but they failed to convert this chance as well. Austin Hays hit a fly ball to right, advancing pinch-runner Samad Taylor to third, but Trevor Megill struck out Fernando Tatis Jr., leaving runners stranded.

In the ninth, Megill managed to get the save despite a leadoff single from Dustin Harris, with some help from the roof once again.

The Brewers were making their playoff debut after a franchise-record 103-win season which granted them home-field advantage. Misiorowski had been a standout during the regular season with a 1.80 ERA and 252 strikeouts, leading the major leagues in both categories.

He kicked off his first playoff start with a bang, delivering a 104.8 mph fastball to Tatis, the fastest pitch recorded in postseason games since 2008. However, Misiorowski had an early exit as the Padres managed to foul off numerous pitches, leading to a shorter outing than he typically had.

Initially, San Diego took the lead with two runs in the second inning. Xander Bogaerts, Ethan Salas, and Luis Campusano all hit consecutive singles, with Campusano’s hit scoring Bogaerts. Jake Cronenworth followed with a grounder, but first baseman Jake Bauers couldn’t get Salas out at home. San Diego’s inning ended with Manny Machado grounding out with the bases loaded, leaving fans wondering what could’ve been.

The Brewers struck back in the third inning thanks to Chourio. With a runner on second and one out, Chourio belted a 420-foot homer to left-center, marking his record-setting fifth career postseason home run in just 13 playoff games, previously tied with Prince Fielder and Orlando Arcia.

Notably, only Kyle Schwarber and Juan Soto have also hit five playoff homers before turning 23, adding to Chourio’s impressive early career.