Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Garrett Mitchell made a game-saving catch at the wall in the eighth inning of Wednesday’s contest, robbing San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado of a potential home run to preserve a 3-1 victory and secure a National League Division Series victory at Petco Park.
The defensive play propelled the Brewers into the National League Championship Series, where a series against the Los Angeles Dodgers awaits. Wednesday’s victory also snapped Milwaukee’s 12-game postseason road losing streak, which was tied for the longest in major league history.
When Machado connected on a pitch from reliever Abner Uribe with one out and one on in the bottom of the eighth, the ball traveled 406 feet with an exit velocity of 106.7 mph. Christian Yelich, standing on the field, watched Machado rather than the ball’s flight path.
He’s hit about 400 homers in this league,
Yelich said of Machado.
Instead of a game-tying blast, Mitchell ranged back to the warning track, fended off nearby spectators, and hauled in the two-handed grab just before the barrier. According to ESPN Insights, home run robberies have been tracked since 2004, and Machado’s flyout marked the first time a player has been robbed of a potential game-tying or go-ahead home run in the eighth inning or later of a playoff game.
Just got a good read off the bat, got back to the wall as quickly as I could just to get my feet set and made the play,
Mitchell said on FS1 after the win. But great swing by him.
Bullpen Dominance and Early Offense
The win crowned a night where Milwaukee relied on its pitching depth and small-ball offense. Starting pitcher Robert Gasser delivered four quality innings, while the bullpen combination of Aaron Ashby, Abner Uribe, and Trevor Megill tossed five no-hit innings down the stretch.
Milwaukee manufactured its runs early off Padres starter Walker Buehler. Sal Frelick singled to lead off the third inning, stole second, and scored on Mitchell’s single up the middle. After Fernando Tatis Jr. answered with a solo home run for San Diego in the bottom of the third, the Brewers reclaimed the lead on a triple by Mitchell and an RBI single from Jackson Chourio. Frelick added a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning to round out the scoring.
The elimination loss was the third late-game heartbreak for San Diego in the series, following a potential Ty France home run that struck a roof panel in Game 1 and Chourio’s walk-off single against Mason Miller in Game 2.
Looking Ahead to the NLCS Rematch
However, they now face a familiar obstacle in the National League Championship Series against Los Angeles, a club that outscored them 15-4 in a four-game sweep in last year’s NLCS.
Milwaukee has dropped seven consecutive postseason games against the Dodgers, dating back to Game 7 of the 2018 NLCS. Despite the historical deficit, Brewers manager Pat Murphy expressed confidence in his roster’s collective approach.
A lot of people have said we’re not built for the postseason because we’ve done so well in the regular season,
Murphy said. We just have a dearth of players, no stars — not many stars — where I think we’re proving that, no, we still can win in the postseason because good baseball is good baseball.
