MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Brewers pleaded for their fans to show emotion Saturday night, and they got it.
They demanded someone to keep the Chicago Cubs from scoring in the first inning for the first time this National League Division Series, and All-Star closer Trevor Megill delivered.
They wanted their offense to step up, and they smacked three solo homers.
And by the end of the night, there were the Brewers, along with their delirious sellout crowd of 42,743 at American Family Field, wiping away tears from their eyes.
The Brewers did it.
They finally beat the Chicago Cubs, 3-1, winning a postseason series for the first time since 2018, slaying their longtime nemesis in the process.
The Brewers’ reward is that they get to stay home and host the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the best-of-seven National League Championship Series on Monday night, in a rematch of their 2018 NLCS.
It took seven years, and now they’ve got their chance at revenge against the Dodgers, overcoming their heartbreak of a year ago when Brewers closer Devin Williams gave up a crushing, game-winning homer to Mets first baseman Pete Alonso.
“It’s not like we broke down and did something wrong,’’ Brewers manager Pat Murphy said, “it’s just that we had one guy that could not execute pitches, and we had the Mets hot. But there’s something to be learned from it. It’s not over until it’s over, and you’ve got to play it all the way.
“We mentioned it again today, just a little piece of, hey, remember those feelings and remember that awareness that you got to have.’’
The Brewers produced only six hits in the game, but, oh, how those three will be remembered.
It was Contreras hitting a homer in the first inning, followed by Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki answering in the second inning.
It was Andrew Vaughn, who was in the minor leagues for the Chicago White Sox in June, homering in the fourth.
And then, it was second baseman Brice Turang, who hadn’t produced a hit since the first game of the series, homering in the seventh.
Finally, bedlam.
The Brewers crowd, trying to wash away those memories, or maybe even dull them with hours of heavy tailgating before the game, made their emotions known from the jump. They began cheering 30 minutes before the first pitch watching the Brewers take the field, loudly booing the sight of the Cubs taking the field, increasing their boos to another level during the introductions, saving their loudest anger for Cubs manager Craig Counsell, who they view as a traitor for leaving them for the Cubs.
The Brewers did everything they could to get the crowd revved up with Hall of Famer Paul Molitor throwing out the first pitch, former Brewers great Ryan Braun screaming into the mic and waving a rally towel, and then they lowered the lights and played All-Star closer Trevor Megill’s walk-up song, “The Four Horsemen,’’ as he emerged from the bullpen to start the game.
Then, it was on, one of the most unique postseason series in history, with the starting pitchers combining for only 14 innings, and the bullpen pitching 32 innings. It was the first postseason series the starting rotations combined for fewer than three innings.
Megill made sure it would be the first time the Cubs didn’t score in the first inning, too, with a 1-2-3 inning, while the Brewers instead did the honors with Williams Contreras homering off veteran reliever Drew Pomeranz, who had retired 25 consecutive batters.
“I mean, I’ve never really seen anything like it in terms of just the first inning mayhem,’’ Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson said, “that has kind of headlined this entire series.’’
The game promptly emerged into a reliever carousel, with the bullpen door opening early and often, beginning in the second inning and carrying through the night. There were nine relievers used in the game, with rookie Jacob Misiorowski the star of the pen in only giving up three hits and one run in four innings.
“In a game like this,’’ Swanson said, “kind of all conventional thinking can go out the window.’’
Indeed, when the Brewers are starting their All-Star closer, and the Cubs are using a 36-year-old reliever who hadn’t pitched in the major leagues since 2021, conventional thinking had no place in this game.
“Drew spent a long time in the minor leagues continuing to try to, as he says, just get one more chance,’’ Counsell said. “And it turns out that that one more chance earned a big role on this team …
“He could have gone home, and he would have had a great career and nobody would have thought twice of it. Nobody would have thought he gave up at all, right? But he kept doing it because he’s doing what he loves to do.
“He kept going, and he’s created some great memories for himself because of it.’’
The Cubs played sloppy in this game with errors by Swanson and center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong in the first four innings, but it wasn’t a case of nerves, Counsell said, but simply a victim of the Brewers’ offensive style of sacrificing power to put the ball in play.
“They hit the ball on the ground a lot,’’ Counsell said, “I think that is going to lead to defensive errors. That kind of baseball produces errors. So mostly it’s a result of, from that statistic, they have a better chance to do it because of (what) their offensive players are skilled at.’’
Who knows, maybe the crowd really had an effect, with the home team winning all five games this series. The Brewers became unglued at Wrigley Field in front of the Cubs’ faithful, and this time, the Brewers appeared much more relaxed at home.
“We’ve got a really young team,’’ Murphy said. “I think everybody knows that. Maybe by far the youngest team in the postseason. That kind of stuff emotionally can affect guys. They can start to play a little too hard. This game is a game of precision, and the Cubs’ experience and what they’ve been through, they were better in this environment, for sure.’
But on this night, with the crowd willing them to victory, the Brewers were the ones standing tall.
“I admire our team, I have faith in our team,’’ Murphy said. “I think this had to happen this way.’’
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Brewers vs. Cubs Game 5 highlights
Brewers extend lead on Brice Turang homer
Brice Turang’s first career postseason home run was just a solo shot, but it felt much, much bigger to the Milwaukee Brewers.
Turang’s seventh-inning drive to center field off Andrew Kittredge extended the Brewers’ lead to 3-1 over the Chicago Cubs in their do-or-die NLDS Game 5.
The Brewers have never trailed in this game, but hadn’t scratched out a run since Andrew Vaughn’s fourth-inning homer, leaving the Cubs trailing by just a run.
Turang changed that and gave the Brewers a crucial bit of breathing room as they aim to record the final six outs and advance to the NLCS.
Cubs-Brewers score update
Chad Patrick bailed out the Milwaukee Brewers and pitched them within six outs of the National League Championship Series.
Patrick recorded five huge outs, inheriting a two-on, one-out situation, and kept the Chicago Cubs at bay to preserve the Brewers’ 2-1 lead heading to the bottom of the seventh.
The Brewers are attempting a bullpen game to claim this Game 5 of the NLDS, a feat that requires all parts to fire crisply. But after lefty Aaron Ashby allowed a hit and hit a batter to start the sixth – he did strike out Kyle Tucker to fulfill the three-batter minimum – Patrick, a rookie, was asked to clean it up.
That he did, getting a lineout from Seiya Suzuki and striking out Ian Happ to end the inning with a fist pump.
He followed with a clean seventh, striking out Carson Kelly and Dansby Swanson in this, his fourth game of work in the five-game series.
Brewers pull Jacob Misiorowski
The Miz is a bona fide postseason hero for the Milwaukee Brewers.
Jacob Misiorowski pitched four innings of three-hit relief, giving up a solo home run but nothing else, and handed the Brewers bullpen a 2-1 lead over the Chicago Cubs after five innings of Game 5 of their NL Division Series.
Misiorowski pitched three scoreless innings in Game 2, earning the win, and his ERA in seven innings of this NLDS is 1.29; he also struck out seven batters against two walks.
Cubs turn slick double play
William Contreras made hard contact but found second baseman Nico Hoerner’s glove. Hoerner fired to first to double off Jackson Chourio.
Ther Brewers still lead, 2-1.
Brewers take the lead again on Andrew Vaughn homer
The Milwaukee Brewers salvaged Andrew Vaughn’s career and now Vaughn is hoping to pay them back by salvaging their season.
Vaughn broke a fourth-inning 1-1 tie with a solo home run to left field off Colin Rea’s hanging slider, his second big homer in this NLDS.
His three-run homer erased a three-run deficit in Game 2, and now the Brewers will nurse a 2-1 lead into the fifth inning in Milwaukee.
Vaughn was acquired in trade from the Chicago White Sox this season, revitalizing a career that saw him make a trip to the minor leagues this season.
Score update: Cubs 1, Brewers 1 after three
After the early power show, matters have settled down at American Family Field.
The Brewers and Cubs remain tied 1-1 through three innings in their decisive NLDS Game 5.
The Cubs opted for Colin Rea as the second man in their bullpen relay, and he’s been nearly perfect, giving up one hit in two innings. Meanwhile, Brewers rookie Jacob Misiorowski has calmed the heart rate after giving up a homer to Seiya Suzuki, the first batter he faced, in the second inning.
He’s given up two more hits but no more runs, and now the intrigue is how long Brewers manager Pat Murphy may stick with his prized rookie.
Seiya Suzuki ties game with homer off Brewers star rookie
The Milwaukee Brewers won the battle of the openers, but the Chicago Cubs battled back with a quick strike against the Brew Crew’s rookie superstar.
William Contreras hit a two-out solo home run off Drew Pomeranz and the Brewers handed 6-foot-8 rookie Jacob Misiorowski a 1-0 lead. But it didn’t even last one batter, as Seiya Suzuki took a Misiorowski pitch and drove it over the wall in right center field.
That was a jolt for the Brewers, who in Game 2 got three scoreless relief innings from Misiorowski, the winning pitcher.
But The Miz settled down and retired the side as the clubs remained tied 1-1 entering the bottom of the second.
Brewers strike first on William Contreras home run
It’s 1-0 for the home team after one inning after Contreras went yard off Drew Pomeranz on a 3-2 count with two outs.
That’s got to feel good for the Brewers after they were shut out in Game 4.
Trevor Megill fired up after retiring side in first
Megill retired the first three Cubs batters in order, the final coming via a strikeout of Kyle Tucker. The Brewers’ starter was fired up after that, to say the least.
Incredibly, Game 5 is the first game of the series that the Brewers didn’t yield runs in the first inning.
What time is Cubs vs Brewers game?
First pitch is scheduled for 8:08 p.m. ET at American Family Field in Milwaukee.
Where to watch Cubs vs Brewers Game 5: TV channel, live stream
Saturday’s game will air on TBS and HBO Max and can be streamed with Sling TV.
Watch Cubs vs Brewers Game 5 on Sling TV
Cubs vs Brewers odds
Cubs vs Brewers NLDS Game 5 predictions
BetMGM: Brewers will win
Staff writes: Based on recent trends the model predicts the Brewers will win Saturday‘s MLB game with 55.8% confidence, factoring in game simulations, recent player performances, starting pitchers and injuries.’
Draftkings: Brewers
Zach Thompson writes: ‘The Brewers took the first two games of the series convincingly, 9-3 and 7-3. The Cubs definitely got a big boost from playing at Wrigley Field, but back in Milwaukee, the Brewers should be able to get back in the win column. They’re much more familiar with bullpen games, and Misiorowski is a huge piece of their plan that gives them a significant advantage.’
Sports Illustrated: Brewers
Ryan Gilbert writes: ‘Home-field advantage has held strong in this series with both the Brewers and Cubs winning two games at their home ballparks. We’re back in Milwaukee for Game 5, and it’s hard to see the Brewers losing this one at home. The Brewers went 52-29 at home this season while the Cubs were just 42-39 on the road. Chicago did take two of three in Milwaukee way back in May, but the Brewers have now won four of the last five meetings, including the playoffs, at home.’
Chicago Cubs starting lineup vs Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers lineup vs Chicago Cubs
Cubs, Brewers starting pitchers
Drew Pomeranz and Trevor Megill are starting pitchers in name only for Game 5 of the National League Division Series, as the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers deploy “openers” in the winner-take-all game at American Family Field.
And that means the spotlight should soon switch to Brewers rookie flamethrower Jacob Misiorowski.
The instant All-Star pitched three shutout innings to earn the win in Game 2, reaching 104 mph on the radar gun and topping at least 100 mph 31 times in his relatively short stint. Misiorowski has had a full four days of rest and should be ready to roll.
How the Brewers get to The Miz remains a fluid equation in relief of Megill.
“It’s kind of like an equation. If so-and-so needs to be rescued, this is the best rescue guy there in this pocket,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said in his news conference before Game 5. “If he gets through it, here’s the best guy to open the second, based on where we ended. And then you play it out from there.”
For the Cubs, lefty Shota Imanaga is on turn, after getting lit up for four runs in just 2⅔ innings of Game 2. As we saw in Game 5 of the AL Division Series, all hands will be on the proverbial deck for both teams.
This post appeared first on USA TODAY
