Brewers Walk Off Padres, Braves Answer Dodgers in Dramatic NLDS Sunday
The National League owned the postseason stage Sunday, and both Division Series delivered games that remained undecided deep into the afternoon and evening.
Milwaukee rallied in the bottom of the ninth to beat San Diego, 4-3, taking a commanding 2-0 series lead, while Atlanta responded to its Game 1 loss with a 3-2 victory over Los Angeles to even its series at one game apiece. (Baseball Reference)
Chourio Delivers as Brewers Walk Off Padres
The Milwaukee Brewers are one win away from the National League Championship Series, and once again, Jackson Chourio found himself at the center of the moment.
Milwaukee entered the bottom of the ninth trailing San Diego 3-2 and facing Padres closer Mason Miller, one of baseball’s most overpowering late-inning arms.
The Brewers refused to go quietly.
Christian Yelich and Sal Frelick worked consecutive one-out walks before Miller recovered to record the second out. Pinch-hitter Gary Sánchez then drew another walk, loading the bases and bringing Chourio to the plate with Milwaukee’s season-long ability to grind through at-bats suddenly on full display.
Chourio finished the job.
The 22-year-old jumped on a 101.3 mph fastball from Miller and drove it back through the middle for a two-run single, scoring Yelich and Frelick and sending American Family Field into celebration with a 4-3 walk-off victory. (MLB.com)
It was another postseason moment in what is quickly becoming an impressive October résumé for Chourio. He now owns eight game-tying or go-ahead postseason RBIs, the most in Brewers history, while his 15 career postseason RBIs already rank second in franchise history behind Ryan Braun. (MLB.com)
For San Diego, the loss was especially painful because of how close the Padres came to evening the series.
The Padres scored first and carried leads of 2-0 and 3-1 before Milwaukee slowly worked its way back into the game. Both teams struggled defensively — Milwaukee committed three errors and San Diego committed two — but the Brewers’ pitching staff repeatedly limited the damage. (Baseball Reference)
Milwaukee cut the deficit to one in the seventh before completing the comeback against Miller in the ninth. Miller had converted 38 of 41 save opportunities during the regular season, but three ninth-inning walks opened the door for Chourio. His 40 pitches marked his highest total in an appearance since joining San Diego. (MLB.com)
The result sends Milwaukee to San Diego with a 2-0 NLDS lead and three opportunities to close out the series.
For the Padres, there is no longer any room for error.
Harris Leads Braves Past Dodgers to Even Series
Several hours later in Los Angeles, Atlanta faced a much different situation.
After dropping Game 1, 5-3, the Braves entered Sunday needing a victory to avoid heading home in a 2-0 hole against a Dodgers team that won 100 games during the regular season.
Instead, Atlanta turned Game 2 into a pitching battle — and walked away with exactly what it needed.
The Braves defeated the Dodgers 3-2, evening the NLDS at 1-1 before the series shifts to Atlanta. (Baseball Reference)
Atlanta struck first in the opening inning before Freddie Freeman tied the game for Los Angeles with a home run.
From there, Michael Harris II took over.
Harris tripled in the fifth inning and came around to score on a wild pitch, restoring Atlanta’s lead. Two innings later, he delivered again, driving home Matt Olson with an RBI double to make it 3-1.
Harris finished with three hits — a single, double and triple — and supplied two of the most important offensive moments of Atlanta’s night. (MLB.com)
The Braves’ pitching strategy proved just as important.
Rather than bringing Chris Sale back on short rest, manager Walt Weiss opted to save him for Game 3 and piece together Sunday’s game with his pitching staff.
It worked.
Ray Kerr opened the game with 2 2/3 scoreless innings and four strikeouts, only three days after throwing 47 pitches in Atlanta’s Wild Card Series clincher against Philadelphia. Rookie Didier Fuentes followed with 3 2/3 innings as Atlanta used six pitchers to navigate one of baseball’s deepest lineups. (MLB.com)
Los Angeles made one final push in the ninth.
Max Muncy’s solo home run cut Atlanta’s advantage to 3-2, forcing Weiss to call upon Raisel Iglesias for the final out. Iglesias shut the door, preserving a victory that completely changed the complexion of the series. (MLB.com)
Instead of returning home needing three consecutive victories, Atlanta will head back to Truist Park tied 1-1 — and with Sale lined up to start Game 3.
Two Series, Two Very Different Situations
Sunday’s two games left the National League Division Series in dramatically different positions.
Milwaukee has complete control of its matchup after defending home field twice and needs only one more victory to eliminate San Diego. The Padres now return to Petco Park knowing their season could end with their next loss.
Atlanta, meanwhile, accomplished exactly what a road team hopes to do in the opening two games of a postseason series: earn a split.
The Dodgers looked capable of taking control after winning Game 1, but Atlanta’s pitching staff and Harris ensured this series will return east tied.
October rarely provides much separation between teams.
On Sunday, one swing from Chourio pushed Milwaukee to the brink of the NLCS, while a three-hit night from Harris gave Atlanta new life.
Two games. Two one-run finishes.
And two National League playoff series that suddenly look very different heading into Game 3.
