The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 on Sunday night in Game 1 of the NLCS, a rematch a year in the making. Milwaukee took the opener despite a challenging early stretch from Jacob Misiorowski.
The decisive moment
Rookie Luis Lara lined 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. The Brewers took a fifth-inning lead on a manufactured run and held it for the rest of the game. That approach reflected how Milwaukee has built its march to the NLCS, and it served as an early sign that this is not the same team that was swept by the Dodgers last year.
Bullpen was the star
Milwaukee’s bullpen was the standout performer. DL Hall, Abner Uribe, Aaron Ashby and Trevor Megill combined for 4⅔ scoreless innings and escaped several difficult situations. Ashby was especially effective, covering two innings and inducing a pair of infield popups in the eighth, from Freddie Freeman and Shohei Ohtani.
Three double plays kept the game under control
Misiorowski struggled early, but Milwaukee’s defence repeatedly rescued him. Double plays ended both the first and second innings. After Misiorowski left in the fifth, Hall recorded another inning-ending double play to snuff out a potential rally. Those three twin killings were the defining statistic of the game.
What it means for the Dodgers
This is only the second time since the Dodgers’ championship run began in 2024 that they have lost the opening game of a playoff series. The first came in last year’s World Series, and they recovered to beat the Blue Jays in Game 2 with Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound. Yamamoto starts Game 2 on Monday at 5 p.m. ET. Falling behind 2-0 to a team of Milwaukee’s quality would put the Dodgers in real trouble.
Looking ahead
With the series now underway, Game 2 on Monday will show whether the Dodgers can respond or whether the Brewers can extend their early advantage.
