Blake Snell pitched his backside off on Monday night, literally shutting down a powerful Milwaukee Brewers offense as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Brewers 2-1 in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series on Monday night.
Snell pitched eight innings of one-hit ball, keeping Brewers hitters at bay. Freddie Freeman had a solo home run and Mookie Betts had a bases-loaded walk in the top of the ninth inning. That proved to be the decisive run as the Brewers got to Dodgers closer Roki Sasaki in the bottom of the ninth.
The Brewers did get a run in the ninth and had the bases loaded. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts came out and pulled Sasaki, who has been lights out for the Dodgers in relief situations. Blake Treinen was called out from the bullpen to quell the Brewers' rally.
On a 2-2 pitch, Treinen struck out the Brewers' Brice Turang, one pitch after almost hitting Turang on his left leg, and Dodgers players poured out onto American Family Field.
Snell becomes the first pitcher in MLB history to face the minimum through eight innings of a postseason contest since the legendary Don Larsen did it in his 1956 perfect game.
But the Dodgers had a golden opportunity to really break the game wide open when an incredible double play was pulled off by the Brewers.
In the fourth inning, according to MLB.com reporter Anthony DiComo, Los Angeles loaded the bases thanks to two hits and a walk. Max Muncy hit a fly ball to deep center field. Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick leaped at the wall and the ball bounced off of his outfielder's mitt. The ball then hit the top of the wall and ended back up in Frelick's glove.
Dodgers base runners were perplexed by the situation. Well, Frelick threw home and Brewers catcher William Contreras stretched out to catch the ball with his right foot on home plate. Contreras stepped on home plate, then ran to third base to complete an inning-ending double play.
The Brewers put Aaron Ashby out there to start the game on the mound, then it turned into a bullpen game for Brewers manager Pat Murphy. For the most part, Brewers pitchers kept Dodgers hitters in check. Without Freeman's sixth-inning homer and Betts' bases-loaded walk, Los Angeles would not have won the game.e
If Game 1 is any indication of how this NLCS will play out, then excitement will not be at a minimum.
The Dodgers and Brewers go at it again on Tuesday night. Yoshinobu Yamamoto gets the Game 2 start for Los Angeles against Milwaukee's Freddy Peralta. Yamamoto has a big assignment out there after watching Snell turn in his masterpiece on Monday night.