The Los Angeles Dodgers opened the NLCS series in Milwaukee with a solid 2–1 win over the Brewers. Blake Snell started for Los Angeles and looked sharp from his first pitch. He attacked the zone and worked out of tough spots. Snell has been key for the Dodgers in these playoffs. In Game 1, he had 10 Ks and allowed only 1 hit over 8 innings.
Milwaukee used a bullpen game and mixed pitchers all night. Both teams went scoreless through five innings. Every at-bat was tense. The Dodgers finally broke through in the top of the sixth when Freddie Freeman crushed a solo home run to right field. That swing made it 1–0 and gave the Dodgers the lead they needed.
A Wild Fourth Inning
The biggest moment of the game came earlier. In the fourth inning, the Dodgers had the bases loaded with one out. Max Muncy stepped up to the dish with the bases loaded and crushed a cutter from Quinn Priester deep to center field. For a second, everyone thought it was a grand slam. Sal Frelick sprinted back and leaped at the wall. The ball hit his glove and before bouncing off the padded yellow fence top. Chaos broke out on the bases. Teoscar Hernández started toward home, then stopped halfway. Will Smith and Tommy Edman hesitated too. Frelick threw the ball to William Contreras, who stepped on home, forcing out Hernandez and then tagged 3rd, completing the most unusual and wild inning-ending double play. The Dodgers went from almost scoring four runs to walking off the field stunned and empty-handed.
If Muncy’s ball had cleared the wall, it would have been a grand slam. Analysts said the Dodgers’ win chance would have jumped to 88 percent. Instead, they had to grind out every inning.
The Dodgers played clean defense and held their ground. Freeman’s homer stood as the difference. The final outs came quickly and quietly. The team celebrated calmly, knowing their ultimate goal was far from achieved.
Snell and the Bullpen Seal the Win
Snell never lost his focus. He kept throwing strikes and trusting his defense. The bullpen came in later and shut down the Brewers. Los Angeles added another run to make it 2–0. Milwaukee scored once in the XX inning, but that was all they got.
The win showed toughness and focus. Snell set the tone. Freeman delivered the clutch swing. The bullpen finished the job. The Dodgers headed into Game 2 leading the series 1–0with momentum and confidence.
Game 2
Yoshinobu Yamamoto followed Snell’s lights-out performance with his own, leading the Dodgers to a 5–1 victory behind Yamamoto’s complete-game masterpiece. He pitched all nine innings, allowing just one run, three hits, and seven Ks on 111 pitches.
In Japan, it’s normal for pitchers to throw around 100 pitches, and Yamamoto showed that same stamina and precision on the postseason stage. Every inning, he stayed in control, mixing speeds, hitting his spots, and keeping the Brewers off balance. The Dodgers gave him plenty of support. Max Muncy and Teoscar Hernández both homered, with Muncy’s blast doubling the Dodgers’ lead. The offense stayed patient and capitalized on Milwaukee’s mistakes.
Dodgers in Full Control of the Series
The win put Los Angeles up 2–0 in the NLCS, marking back-to-back dominant starts by Snell and Yamamoto. Yamamoto became the first Dodgers pitcher to throw a complete game in the postseason since 2004 and the first in MLB since Justin Verlander in 2017. His 111-pitch effort showed why he’s been one of baseball’s most reliable arms all year.
The defending champions now head back to Dodger Stadium, just two wins away from returning to another World Series.
The Dodgers’ combination of power, poise, and pitching depth has them in full control of this series.
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