MILWAUKEE — The Los Angeles Dodgers survived the Milwaukee Brewers’ magic act, shrugged off their bad luck, and by the end of Monday night, just won a postseason game the old-fashioned way.
The Dodgers, riding the golden arm of Blake Snell, and the powerful bat of Freddie Freeman, outlasted the Brewers for a 2-1 victory in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series at American Family Field.
While the Brewers turned perhaps the wildest double play in postseason history, and emptied their bullpen trying to suffocate the Dodgers’ offense, the Dodgers resorted to the traditional way to win games.
Snell, the two-time Cy Young winner, put on one of the greatest postseason pitching performances in history. He never gave the Brewers a chance, facing the minimum batters through eight innings, striking out 10, and giving up just one hit – a third-inning single up the middle by Caleb Durbin. He was so dominant that he gave up just one fair fly ball to the outfield the entire game, inducing 11 ground balls.
Snell became the first pitcher in postseason history to strike out at least 10 batters and give up one hit without a walk in eight innings.
“He’s a bona fide ace,’ Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Having him take the ball, feeling that he’s always essentially going to be the best option on the mound.’
Certainly, there has not been a hotter pitcher on the planet. Snell is yielding a 0.68 ERA in his last six starts, pitching 40 innings, yielding 15 hits, and striking out 56 batters.
In Snell’s three postseason starts, he’s 3-0 with a 0.86 ERA, giving up just seven hits in 21 innings, striking out 28 batters.
Despite injuries limiting him to 11 starts in the regular season, Snell has been worth every penny of that five-year, $182 million contract in the first year of his free-agent deal.
“I’ve known Blake a long time,’ said Andrew Friedman, Dodgers president of baseball operations, who drafted and signed Snell with the Tampa Bay Rays. “Just getting a chance to watch that maturation over a 12-year period and seeing that growth, we felt really strongly that not only could he help us in the regular season in accomplishing that first goal, but what he would bring to our staff in October. I think for some it is literally a part of their identity and what they yearn for more than anything.’
It turned out that the Dodgers needed every one of those outs Snell provided. The Dodgers turned to closer Roki Sasaki in the ninth, but he ran into trouble, gave up a run, and departed with two outs and runners on the corners. Roberts pulled Sasaki and went to veteran Blake Treinen.
Treinen, after walking William Contreras to load the bases, struck out Brice Turang to end the game, and overcome the play in the fourth inning that nearly stole the show.
The Dodgers were in the process of breaking the game open in the fourth inning, loading the bases, when Max Muncy sent Quinn Priester’s cutter 404 feet towards the center-field wall for a potential grand slam.
Brewers center fielder Sal Frelick leaped, brought the ball back, but it bounced off the yellow stripe back into his glove.
The Dodgers, who initially thought the ball was going over the fence, froze. Then, they thought Frelick caught the ball, even though left-field umpire Chad Fairchild ruled the ball was in play.
Teoscar Hernandez, who had gone back to tag up at third base, raced home. Frelick threw a strike to cutoff man Joey Ortiz, who fired home, just ahead of Hernandez, who didn’t know it was a force play.
Meanwhile, Brewers catcher William Contreras, realizing that Will Smith, who was heading back to second base believing the ball was caught, sprinted to third base. Smith hurried ot third. Too late.
Out at home. Out at third. Double play.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts asked for a replay review, which confirmed that Hernandez was out at home.
And after the umpires huddled, they confirmed that Fairchild called the ball correctly that the ball indeed bounced off the fence, and there was no catch.
The Brewers ran off the field leaving the Dodgers dazed, and the sellout crowd going bonkers not believing what they just witnessed.
It technically went down as your routine 8-6-2, 404-foot GIDP.
It was the first 8-6-2 double play in postseason history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
“The Brewers are a really good team,’’ said Friedman, Dodgers president of baseball operations. “Team speed, defense, they don’t chase, put the ball in play. They do a lot of things well. And I think the depth of their roster really helps them withstand 162 games and also puts them in position to be a really competitive team in October.’’
Friedman joked that the Dodgers were hoping to win just a game against the Brewers considered the Brewers went 6-0 against them during the regular season, but of course, those games weren’t played in October.
This is the Dodgers’ time of the year.
And, for another night, they proved it again.
— Bob Nightengale
Here’s how Game 1 unfolded:
Dodgers hang on in the ninth for 2-1 win
The Brewers pushed a run across and loaded the bases with two outs, putting the go-ahead run on second base. But Blake Treinen struck out Brice Turang to end the game.
Dodgers add insurance run in ninth
Abner Uribe loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the ninth and then walked Mookie Betts with a full count to drive in a run and extend the Dodgers’ lead to 2-0.
Blake Snell keeps it going into the ninth
The Dodgers left-hander sailed through the eighth inning and NLCS Game 1 is heading to the ninth with the Dodgers clinging to a 1-0 lead. Snell struck out 10 and gave up only one hit in eight innings, but will likely give way to Roki Sasaki for the ninth.
To the eighth: Dodgers 1, Brewers 0
Blake Snell got through his seventh scoreless inning, facing the minimum with nine strikeouts. He’s at 91 pitches and the Dodgers bullpen is quiet, meaning it’s likely the left-hander gets the ball for the eighth.
Blake Snell dominating through six
Blake Snell has the faced the minimum 18 hitters through six innings, racking up eight strikeouts with no walks on 77 pitches. The only hit he surrendered up came in the second inning, but SNell picking off Caleb Durbin after his single.
Freddie Freeman home run breaks the deadlock
Freddie Freeman hit a solo home run off Chad Patrick with one out in the top of the sixth, opening the scoring in Game 1 of this NLCS.
The World Series MVP last year, the homer was Freeman’s first of the 2025 poseason.
Brewers escape on absolutely insane play
With the bases loaded and one out, Max Muncy hit a drive to the center field wall that bounced off center fielder Sal Frelick’s glove, then the wall and was grabbed before hitting the ground – a live ball, not a catch for an out. The baserunners were confused and held up initially, with Teoscar Hernandez thrown out at home trying to score from third, a bizarre 8-6-2 forceout.
Still having no idea what happened, Will Smith, never advanced to third and he was then forced out to complete the double play.
Quinn Priester takes over for Brewers
Milwaukee right-hander Quinn Priester came on to replace opener Aaron Ashby to begin the second inning. He walked Max Muncy, but stranded the runner with a strikeout of Enrique Hernandez to end the second.
In the third, Priester set down Andy Pages, Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts in order to keep the game scoreless. The Dodgers are without a hit through three innings.
Priester was a revelation for the Brewers this year, going 13-3 with a 3.32 ERA in 157.1 innings.
Aaron Ashby puts up a zero in the first
Brewers opener Andy Ashby worked around a leadoff walk of Shohei Ohtani in a scoreless first, getting Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernandez before striking out Freddie Freeman to strand Ohtani.
Ashby, the nephew of two-time All-Star Andy Ashby, made four appearances in the five-game NLDS against the Cubs.
When is Shohei Ohtani pitching? Dave Roberts won’t say
MILWAUKEE — With Blake Snell starting Game 1 for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Yoshinobu Yamamoto getting the nod for Game 2, that means Shohei Ohtani and Tyler Glasnow won’t take the mound until the series shifts to Los Angeles later this week. Asked if he’s already decided which games they’ll start, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said yes.
Would he care to share that information?
‘No,’ Roberts said, smiling.
Aaron Ashby starts Brewers’ pitching parade
MILWAUKEE — Brewers manager Pat Murphy is completely focused on Game 1 while already thinking ahead.
Huh?
With only two starters – 1 ½, really – the Brewers will be leaning heavily on their relievers to get them through the seven-game series that includes just two off days. Which means Murphy has to be smart in how he uses them. Let one go an extra inning, or two, in Games 1 or 2, and Milwaukee could pay for it down the road.
‘It’s win tonight, but when you get to about Game 4, you better be careful of what you’ve done to your pitching staff. It might show up in Game 4, Game 5,’ Murphy said ahead of Game 1.
‘Especially the third game, OK, we just had a day off. How much do you want to use here? What do you think about?’ Murphy continued. ‘That’s where you can get exposed because now your thinking is, `We’re not playing to win tonight,’ we’re playing, `Hey, we’ve got to pitch these guys because these (other) guys are gassed.’ We’ve got to try to keep ourselves from that situation.
‘Comes down to depth and quality of depth.’
That helps explain Murphy’s decision to add Tobias Myers to the roster for the NLCS and remove Nick Mears. Mears has been ‘unbelievable’ for Milwaukee, Murphy said. But he’s better in short spurts, and the Brewers will need someone who can go longer. — Nancy Armour
Dodgers lineup today
- Shohei Ohtani (L) DH
- Mookie Betts (R) SS
- Teoscar Hernández (R) RF
- Freddie Freeman (L) 1B
- Will Smith (R) C
- Tommy Edman (S) 2B
- Max Muncy (L) 3B
- Enrique Hernández (R) LF
- Andy Pages (R) CF
Brewers lineup
- Jackson Chourio (R) RF
- Christian Yelich (L) DH
- William Contreras (R) C
- Brice Turang (L) 2B
- Andrew Vaughn (R) 1B
- Sal Frelick (L) CF
- Caleb Durbin (R) 3B
- Isaac Collins (S) LF
- Joey Ortiz (R) SS
Dodgers NLCS roster
The Dodgers have added right-handed pitcher Ben Casparius to the mix in place of third catcher Dalton Rushing, apparently signaling Will Smith should be able to handle a greater share of the duties behind the plate in the NLCS. Smith was limited over much of September and early in the playoffs by a fracture in his right hand.
The Dodgers will also have veteran left-hander Clayton Kershaw on the roster, despite his rocky outing in Game 3 of the NLDS against the Phillies when he gave up five runs (four earned) in two innings of work.