San Diego’s championship ambitions ended Wednesday night at Petco Park as the Milwaukee Brewers secured a 3-1 victory in Game 4, taking the National League Division Series and advancing to the NLCS. An eighth-inning home-run robbery by Garrett Mitchell sealed the exit, leaving the Padres to confront another offseason.
The San Diego Padres saw another postseason run halt in heartbreak as the Milwaukee Brewers claimed a 3-1 victory in Game 4 at Petco Park on Wednesday night. The defeat brought an abrupt finish to a Padres season that featured a dominant 41-18 stretch down the stretch and a Wild Card Series sweep over the Chicago Cubs.
Following the final out, players, coaches, and staff faced the reality of an abrupt postseason exit inside a quiet Petco Park clubhouse. Throughout the series, the 103-win Brewers and the surging Padres engaged in a grueling postseason contest where neither team was ever separated by more than two runs in any game.
Brewers Break Tie After Tatis Home Run
Walker Buehler opened the night on the mound for San Diego, starting with a 97.4 mph sinker that marked the hardest pitch he threw all season. But Milwaukee’s pitching staff, anchored by starter Robert Gasser over four solid innings, limited the Padres’ bats. Fernando Tatis Jr. provided the lone offensive spark for San Diego in the third inning, launching a solo home run off Gasser to tie the game at 1-1.
That swing proved to be the final hit of the night for San Diego’s offense. The Brewers broke the tie in the fifth when Garrett Mitchell tripled and later scored on a single by Jackson Chourio. Milwaukee’s bullpen combination of Aaron Ashby, Abner Uribe, and Trevor Megill then held San Diego hitless over the final five frames.
Manny Machado Eighth-Inning Drive Robbed at the Wall
The defining moment of the series arrived in the eighth inning. Trailing 3-1 with a runner aboard, Manny Machado stepped to the plate against Abner Uribe and launched a 107-mph drive toward right-center field. The ball appeared destined to tie the game, sending Petco Park into a frenzy.
Instead, Brewers center fielder Garrett Mitchell tracked the ball to the wall, leaped, and hauled it in with a two-handed grab just above the top of the fence. Mitchell made the play to snuff out San Diego’s final threat.
He made a nice play. I should have hit it harder. Two more inches, that ball may have been a homer.
Manny Machado, San Diego Padres
Trevor Megill struck out the side in the ninth to seal the 3-1 victory and close out the series.
Milwaukee Advances to Face the Los Angeles Dodgers
With the win, the 103-win Brewers captured their first road playoff victory since 2018 and secured a spot in the National League Championship Series. Milwaukee advances to face the Los Angeles Dodgers in a rematch of last year’s NLCS, with Game 1 scheduled for Sunday at American Family Field.
For San Diego, the defeat marks a bitter conclusion following months of high expectations. Padres players acknowledged the intensity of the matchup, noting that the series remained tightly contested throughout.
It burns. You know, it’s pain. This team, you know. We fought all year. We dealt with a lot as a group. Overcame a lot. I mean, it stings right now for sure. But at the same time, proud of these guys.
Manny Machado, San Diego Padres
The Padres now look toward the future after a challenging season that ultimately ended in a heartbreaking loss during this high-stakes postseason series.
