Brewers Edge Padres in NLDS Opener
MILWAUKEE — In a thrilling finish, William Contreras launched 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 took a dramatic turn when Ty France of the Padres hit a potential game-changing homer that struck the roof of the American Family Field and was caught by outfielder Jackson Chourio for an out.
With a runner on first and one out in the ninth, France sent a towering fly ball that hit a railing on the stadium roof before Chourio caught it in fair territory along the left-field warning track. According to the stadium’s ground rules, any ball that hits the roof or its cables while in fair territory is considered a fair ball, allowing Chourio’s catch to eliminate France. The Padres challenged, claiming the ball was foul, but their appeal was turned down.
Jackson Merrill then flied out to right, marking the end of the game.
Chourio also contributed significantly, hitting a two-run homer earlier in the game. His team’s impressive performance continued, as this was the Brewers’ 16th win in 19 games. For the Padres, despite the loss, it was only their fourth defeat in the last 24 games, even after they managed to chase Milwaukee’s ace Jacob Misiorowski from the mound after four innings.
Game 2 of the best-of-five series is scheduled for Sunday, featuring a pitching matchup between San Diego’s Michael King (12-10, 3.21 ERA) and Milwaukee’s Logan Henderson (11-3, 2.47).
Interestingly, Contreras had struggled against the Padres this season, going just 1 for 20 before his pivotal hit on a 3-2 pitch from Adrian Morejon. As his 406-foot shot sailed over the right-center field wall, he turned to celebrate in front of his teammates in the dugout.
In a notable family connection, Contreras became part of a unique postseason milestone, joining his brother Willson Contreras as one of five brother pairs to hit home runs in the same postseason. The others include notable names like Ken and Clete Boyer and Sandy Jr. and Roberto Alomar.
The Padres had numerous scoring chances throughout the game but failed to capitalize, particularly in the late innings. They loaded the bases in the seventh against Abner Uribe, but DL Hall prevented any runs by getting Merrill to fly out. They found themselves with runners on first and second in the eighth, following Hall’s walks, but once again, they couldn’t convert, despite Austin Hays advancing a pinch-runner to third.
Trevor Megill closed out the game, navigating a leadoff single in the ninth to secure the save, benefitting, incidentally, from some roof-related luck.
This was Milwaukee’s first postseason game following a franchise-record 103 wins that gave them home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Misiorowski had a crucial role in that achievement with a stellar 1.80 ERA, 252 strikeouts, and limiting opponents to a .157 batting average, which were league-leading statistics.
In the opening inning, Misiorowski impressively threw a 104.8 mph strike to Tatis, marking the fastest postseason pitch since the introduction of tracking in 2008. However, he exited the game earlier than usual, facing a challenging Padres lineup that fouled off many of his pitches.
San Diego grabbed an early 2-0 lead, scoring in the second inning with back-to-back singles from Bogaerts, Salas, and Campusano, setting the stage for Cronenworth, who hit a grounder that led to the second run. They could have scored more but were halted when Machado grounded out with the bases loaded.
The Brewers responded in the third, thanks to Chourio, who continues to shine at just 22 years old. He smashed a 420-foot shot over the left-center wall, earning his franchise-record fifth career postseason homer in only his 13th playoff game, breaking a tie with Fielder and Arcia. Only a few players, like Kyle Schwarber and Juan Soto, have managed to hit five playoff homers before turning 23.
