After winning the first two games at home in the National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres, the Milwaukee Brewers wanted to close out the series in Southern California as quickly as possible.
After walking off the Padres and closer Mason Miller in Game 2 on Sunday, the Brewers dropped Game 3 on Tuesday night, cutting their series lead to 2-1. The last thing that manager Pat Murphy and his club wanted to do was go home for a deciding Game 5 on Friday night.
His club was quickly able to turn the page. They came up with clutch hits and played defensively to win Game 4, 3-1, and advance back to the National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. After the series-clinching win, manager Pat Murphy was blunt about his club’s response to the Game 3 setback.
Milwaukee Brewers Manager Pat Murphy Drops Honest Quote After Eliminating Padres
Milwaukee won 103 games during the regular season. However, they showed multiple times this season that they can bounce back quickly. That was the case on Wednesday night.
“The momentum switched after [the Brewers’ Game 3 loss], and to come out today and be so diligent in front of this crowd, it was a great win all the way around,” Murphy said, per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. “I’m proud of the guys. They had to do it. They were resilient, relentless, went pitch to pitch, and were not going to be denied.”
The Brewers grabbed a 1-0 lead in the third inning on a Garrett Mitchell single. After Fernando Tatis Jr. homered to tie the game in the home half, Milwaukee took the lead for good in the fifth inning. Jackson Chourio, who had the game-winning in the bottom of the ninth inning in Game 2, had an RBI single for a 2-1 lead.
Milwaukee added an insurance run in the sixth on a Sal Frelick sac-fly. However, San Diego nearly tied the game in the bottom of the eighth inning. Manny Machado crushed a pitch from Abner Uribe, but Mitchell made a game-saving catch at the center field fence with a runner on.
“It kind of just happened,” said Mitchell, per McCalvy. “Instinctually, just do what I do. Make a good jump and see what happens.”
Milwaukee Brewers To Face Los Angeles Dodgers in NLCS Again
Through two rounds of the MLB playoffs, we’re back at the same spot we were last year: a Brewers/Dodgers NLCS. Last season, Los Angeles swept the series on their way to a second straight World Series title. Murphy didn’t mince words about what his club is going to face in the next round.
“We have a monumental task ahead of us, based on what I know about the Dodgers. There’s like an All-Star at every position,” said Murphy, per McCalvy. “But you know what? Teams win. And we’ve got to play as a team.”
Game 1 is Sunday at American Family Field in Milwaukee. This will be a matchup of the only two 100-win teams in 2026. However, the Brewers are looking for a different ending than just a year ago.
Milwaukee Brewers Manager Pat Murphy Drops Honest Quote After Eliminating San Diego Padres