The Clubhouse DJ: Contreras' Two-Out Homer Lifts Brewers Past Padres 3-2 in NLDS Opener
By Elle Elena ·
William Contreras stepped in with two outs in the bottom of the seventh at American Family Field and the score tied at 2-2. He hit Adrian Morejon's 3-2 sinker 406 feet to center for a solo homer that put Milwaukee ahead 3-2. Contreras had gone 1-for-18 against San Diego in six regular-season games, and his only hit was a double. The Brewers held that lead through nine and took NLDS Game 1 on Saturday night.
San Diego struck first in the second. Xander Bogaerts and Ethan Salas singled, Luis Campusano drove Bogaerts home with a single to right, and Jake Cronenworth's fielder's choice scored Salas. Jacob Misiorowski walked Dustin Harris to load the bases, then got Manny Machado on a grounder to keep it at 2-0.
Garrett Mitchell opened the third with a soft single, and Joey Ortiz's groundout moved him to second. Jackson Chourio then lined the first pitch he saw from Robbie Ray for a two-run homer to left-center, tying it at 2-2. It was his fifth career postseason homer in his 13th playoff game, and it broke the Brewers record he had shared with Prince Fielder and Orlando Arcia. Brice Turang and Contreras walked, and Jake Bauers singled to load the bases. Christian Yelich lined out for the second out, and Bradgley Rodriguez replaced Ray and got Cooper Pratt to ground into a forceout.
The seventh decided it. Aaron Ashby struck out Cronenworth to start the inning before Abner Uribe took over. Fernando Tatis Jr. singled, Harris flied out, Machado singled, and Uribe hit Ty France with a pitch to load the bases with two outs. DL Hall replaced Uribe and got Jackson Merrill on a flyout to left. In the bottom half, Morejon replaced Jason Adam. Chourio grounded out and Turang lined out before Contreras went deep. Bauers singled and Andrew Vaughn singled as a pinch-hitter for Yelich, but Pratt struck out to end the inning.
Hall stayed on for the eighth and walked Bogaerts. Pinch-hitter Miguel Andujar grounded into a forceout, Campusano walked, and pinch-hitter Austin Hays flied out to right, sending pinch-runner Samad Taylor to third. Trevor Megill came in and struck out Tatis to strand two.
Megill returned for the ninth. Harris singled, and Machado struck out. France then hit a towering drive to left that struck a cable on the American Family Field roof and dropped into Chourio's glove in fair territory on the warning track. Under the park's ground rules, a ball that hits the roof or one of its cables over fair territory stays in play. The Padres challenged fair or foul, and the call was upheld. Merrill lined out to right to end it, giving Megill the save, Hall the win and Morejon the loss.
Misiorowski started for Milwaukee and went four innings, allowing four hits and two earned runs with one walk and six strikeouts on 88 pitches. Ray lasted 2 2/3 innings and gave up four hits, two earned runs and two walks while striking out one. San Diego out-hit Milwaukee nine to seven but left 12 on base, three more than the Brewers did. Game 2 is Sunday at 3 p.m. Central at American Family Field.