Jackson Chourio hit a two-out, bases-loaded single off Padres closer Mason Miller in the bottom of the ninth inning, lifting the Milwaukee Brewers to a dramatic 4-3 walk-off victory on Sunday night at American Family Field and a 2-0 lead in the National League Division Series.
The San Diego Padres arrived in Milwaukee with a wave of momentum following a wild-card sweep of the Chicago Cubs. Ace pitcher Michael King shut down the Milwaukee lineup early, retiring the first 14 batters he faced before Christian Yelich broke up the no-hitter with a fifth-inning double.
San Diego manufactured an early lead in the first inning when Ty France drove in a run with a single. The Padres manufactured another in the fifth on a fielder’s choice, and pushed their advantage to 3-1 in the seventh when France delivered an RBI single that scored Fernando Tatis Jr. from second base. The offense sputtered elsewhere, leaving eight runners on base and finishing 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
Brewers Commit Defensive Errors
The Brewers won 103 regular-season games through attention to detail. On Sunday, however, their defense cracked.
A sellout crowd of more than 41,000 Brewers fans watched their team commit sloppy plays throughout the afternoon before the late heroics. A trio of defensive miscues alongside unearned tallies put the Brewers on the verge of dropping their initial postseason contest against the San Diego Padres.
Milwaukee responded through Sal Frelick driving in a run with a single alongside a misplay by the Padres defense to keep the deficit narrow.
[The Brewers are] one of the best [pitching] staffs in the game, so hits are going to be hard to come by. But at the end of the day, if you want to win, you’ve got to get it done.
Ty France
Mason Miller Struggles in Ninth
San Diego turned to closer Mason Miller, who posted a 1.67 ERA, recorded 38 saves, and struck out 129 batters during the regular season while holding opposing hitters to a .152 batting average and a 0.90 WHIP. Miller needed just 12 pitches to breeze through a clean bottom of the eighth.
Padres manager Craig Stammen turned to All-Star closer Mason Miller for a six-out save. When Miller returned for the ninth to secure those six outs, his command vanished.
The cardinal rule is pretty much: You don’t beat yourself. And I beat myself today. I mean, a base hit with nobody on doesn’t win them the game. A base hit after you walk the bases loaded does.
Mason Miller, Padres closer
Chourio Wins Game for Milwaukee
Chourio hit .328 against four-seamers this season, providing a key advantage against Miller’s fastball. Chourio felt confident following his game-tying, two-run blast that fueled the Brewers’ Game 1 win earlier in the series.
Miller returned to the fastball, missed his spot over the heart of the zone, and Chourio lined a base hit right back through the middle, eluding the reaching defensive stop of second baseman Jake Cronenworth. Yelich coasted home safely from third base while Frelick sprinted across from second, securing a 4-3 triumph for the Brewers.
The victory gives Milwaukee a 2-0 lead as the series goes to San Diego. The teams meet for Game 3 on Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 9:30 p.m. ET at Petco Park, where the Padres face elimination.
One of my favorite games I’ve been a part of.
Pat Murphy, Brewers manager
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