Trevor Megill is starting pitcher for Brewers vs Cubs in NLDS Game 5
Milwaukee Brewers closer Trevor Megill is serving as the team’s opener in the winner-take-all Game 5 against the Chicago Cubs on Oct. 11.
The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Chicago Cubs 3-1 in Game 5 to win the National League Division Series.William Contreras, Andrew Vaughn, and Brice Turang each hit solo home runs for the Brewers’ only runs.Rookie pitchers Jacob Misiorowski and Chad Patrick delivered key performances out of the bullpen.The victory sends the Brewers to the National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
After seven long years and more heartbreak than any franchise or fan should have to endure, the Milwaukee Brewers have finally broken through.
Riding solo home runs from William Contreras, Andrew Vaughn and Brice Turang and gutsy pitching performances from fellow rookies Jacob Misiorowski and Chad Patrick, the Brewers pulled out a 3-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs in a drama-filled Game 5 National League Division Series showdown at American Family Field on Saturday night, Oct. 11.
In the lead-up to the game Brewers manager Pat Murphy’s message was consistent: The Brewers had proved the doubters wrong all season by finishing with the best record in baseball and clinching the No. 1 seed, and they ultimately proved their mettle by shaking off two straight demoralizing losses in Games 3 and 4 at Wrigley Field.
The Game 5 victory was made all the more sweet by the fact they sent former manager Craig Counsell and the rival Cubs packing, with the prize being a matchup against the mega-money Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.
More: NLCS schedule | Box score
Game 1 is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 13, at 7:08 p.m. at American Family Field.
The victory was the Brewers’ first in a potential postseason clincher since Game 3 of the NLDS on Oct. 7, 2018, when they swept the Rockies in three games.
Since then they had suffered heartbreaking, late-inning losses in the 2019 wild-card round at Washington, 2021 NLDS at Atlanta and last season to the New York Mets in Game 3 of the teams’ wild-card series matchup at American Family Field, the final game called on the radio by the legendary Bob Uecker.
“We talked about it the last day of the season, after the game last year, that somehow that experience will help us,” Murphy said before Game 5. “Don’t know how. But somehow, that experience will help us.”
Alas, it did as Milwaukee put the wraps on its fourth postseason series win in franchise history.
Trevor Megill opens sensational pitching performance by Brewers; Contreras homers
Trevor Megill, named the opener by Murphy prior to the game, trotted in from the bullpen to the usual closer’s fanfare and responded with an emphatic 1-2-3, 11-pitch first inning capped with a strikeout of Kyle Tucker – a major achievement in itself considering Chicago had scored in the opening frame in each of the first four games in the series.
Ex-Brewer Drew Pomeranz opened for the Cubs, and three batters in it was Contreras who drew first blood with a homer into Milwaukee’s bullpen in left-center, ending the left-hander’s recent reign of dominance out of Chicago’s bullpen.
Murphy countered with rookie Misiorowski in the second inning, and two pitches in he saw a 101.4-mph fastball be sent 105 mph out to Chicago’s bullpen in right-center by Seiya Suzuki to tie it at 1-1.
From that point on, though, Misiorowski gave the Brewers exactly what was needed – four strong innings with minimal damage. Aside from the homer, Misiorowski scattered a pair of singles, didn’t issue a walk and struck out three over 54 pitches to cap a second straight dynamite postseason outing for the rookie.
Andrew Vaughn crushes home run for 2-1 Milwaukee lead
Another ex-Brewer, Colin Rea, took over for Pomeranz in the bottom of the second and was a batter away from posting three scoreless innings when Vaughn jumped all over a cutter the right-hander left over the heart of the plate and banged it out to left for a 2-1 Milwaukee lead.
The Brewers went on to load the bases after that, but Daniel Palencia got Joey Ortiz to ground out to keep it a one-run game.
There was another unlucky break in the fifth when Jackson Chourio drew a leadoff walk and two batters later was doubled off first base on a 111.2-mph line drive from Contreras that was gloved by Nico Hoerner.
Aaron Ashby replaced Misiorowski (2-0) in the sixth and immediately ran into trouble when Michael Busch opened by rolling a single up the middle and Nico Hoerner was hit by a pitch.
Tucker, up next, struck out and Murphy made the call for another rookie in Patrick, who got Suzuki to fly out to left and then caught Ian Happ looking at a called third strike – a moment that earned a huge scream and fist pump from Patrick to the delight of another heavily pro-Brewers crowd announced at 42,743.
Patrick reprised that performance by setting down the side in order in the seventh and striking out two more, capping his night in impressive fashion.
Brice Turang’s homer gives Brewers 3-1 lead
With two outs in the bottom of the frame, Turang took Andrew Kittredge out 416 feet to straightaway center for Milwaukee’s third solo homer on the night and the second baseman’s first hit since Game 1 in the series.
Murphy made something of a surprising call by going to Abner Uribe to pitch the eighth and while he walked Busch with one out – certainly not an awful outcome considering how much damage he’d done in the series – Chicago managed nothing else against him.
After the offense failed to tack on any insurance runs in the eighth, Uribe took the mound for the ninth and made it a drama-free affair with a flyout from Suzuki, lineout from Happ and finally groundout by Carson Kelly clinching the victory and setting off a frenzied celebration by Brewers players on the infield.