Contreras' home run lifts Brewers over Padres in controversial NLDS Game 1

[p]San Diego went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left a total of 12 runners on base, despite having every starter in the lineup besides [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/merrill-jackson/vFLHlra9/"]Jackson Merrill[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cronenworth-jake/0AbuuHRL/"]Jake Cronenworth[/a]. [/p][p]After a controversial ninth inning, the Brewers pulled away with the win as they're now two more away from advancing to back-to-back Championship Series for the first time in franchise history. [/p][embed guid="badb0655-1a8b-4b04-9986-683bd90147ed" url="https://x.com/MLB/status/2106597012313391517?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][h2]Recap[/h2][p]Despite no runs crossing home plate in the first innings, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/milwaukee-brewers/CGzqC60o/"]Brewers[/a] starting pitcher [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/misiorowski-jacob/hnuLI9p1/"]Jacob Misiorowski[/a] was quick to make history with an unreal sequence of pitches. His 104.8 mph pitch was the fastest ever thrown to start a game in both the regular season and Postseason since tracking began in 2008, [a href="https://x.com/SlangsOnSports/status/2106562050902077658?s=20" target="_blank"]according to Sarah Langs[/a]. [/p][embed guid="a2c62653-bcf7-4bd0-9626-b404c3053a6f" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktEXX-Yf2ak" social-type="youtube" /][p]But the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/san-diego-padres/8poQN9Ud/"]Padres[/a]' hot bats picked back up after scoring two runs in the top of the second inning. [/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/campusano-luis/Wjml4mB4/"]Luis Campusano[/a] brought home [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bogaerts-xander/dvVz3xj0/"]Xander Bogaerts[/a] with an RBI single that was followed up by a Cronenworth RBI after grounding in a fielder's choice to make it [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/baseball/milwaukee-brewers-CGzqC60o/san-diego-padres-8poQN9Ud/?mid=Y3ORmYkA"]2-0[/a]. [/p][p]San Diego's regular season home run and RBI leader [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/machado-manny/fkNZ90Jg/"]Manny Machado[/a] stepped up to the plate with bases loaded and two outs. But Misiorowski got himself out of the inning by forcing Machado to ground out to short.[/p][embed guid="21a92089-c091-46f7-b03b-4ef6e1f45a4e" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AB89FPzusQg&pp=0gcJCS4MAYcqIYzv" social-type="youtube" /][p]Fast forward to the bottom of the third when the Brewers finally started to bat around Ray. [/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mitchell-garrett/vN1jlBAe/"]Garrett Mitchell[/a] got the inning started with a single before Milwaukee's young star [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/chourio-jackson/rPDNY6eI/"]Jackson Chourio[/a] launched a two-run bomb to tie things up 2-2. [/p][p]Bryce Turang walked in the next at-bat, stole second, then William Contreras walked in the very next at-bat before [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bauers-jake/CYDr4Yxq/"]Jake Bauers[/a] singled to load the bases. [/p][p]After getting [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/yelich-christian/x0ZzEWqA/"]Yelich[/a] to line out for the second out of the inning, Ray was pulled from the game for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rodriguez-bradgley/UJdikyRH/"]Bradgley Rodriguez[/a], who got out of the inning after forcing Cooper [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/pratt-cooper/6kwK8Ym4/"]Pratt[/a] into a fielder's choice. [/p][embed guid="b8631365-cc58-4f09-936c-662bc0cd40cb" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECOdjgKaDaw" social-type="youtube" /][p]Misiorowski saw three Padres hitters in the top of the fourth and sent each one down in order before being pulled. He finished the game with two earned runs on four hits with one walk, six strikeouts, and owning seven of the nine pitches thrown for at least 104 mph this Postseason by all pitchers.[/p][p]But Rodriguez continued to deal for the Padres. [/p][p]After walking [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lara-luis/tIKQ1bKu/"]Luis Lara[/a], then throwing a wild pickoff attempt, forcing Lara to second, Rodriguez struck out Mitchell and Joey Ortiz before getting Chourio to line out.[/p][p]He'd finish the evening without giving up a hit through 1.1 innings of work with two strikeouts before [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/matsui-yuki/CIueAZks/"]Yuki Matsui[/a] took over on the mound. [/p][p]Nothing was going for either team during the fifth inning, but [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/contreras-william/GneBtljC/"]William Contreras[/a] threw a dart to second to catch [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/harris-dustin/vwQa9M1Q/"]Dustin Harris[/a] attempting to steal. [/p][embed guid="f99d62b5-c2e0-49c5-b3b9-58debeebc78f" url="https://x.com/MLB/status/2106571597528391878?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]It wasn't until the seventh that things got dicey for the Brewers. [/p][p]Milwaukee brought in their power arm, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/uribe-abner/2NsbdCpr/"]Abner Uribe[/a], to face San Diego's superstar [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tatis-fernando-jr/Ic5vhveI/"]Fernando Tatis Jr.[/a], who would single to left in the at-bat. [/p][p]Machado stepped up to the plate and proved clutch, hitting Tatis Jr. over to third on a single to right. Uribe would then beam [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/france-ty/KvEtCbpf/"]Ty France[/a] on the elbow to load the bases with two outs. [/p][p]Milwaukee brought in lefty reliever [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hall-d-l/27s3bCvt/"]DL Hall[/a] to face lefty Merrill. With a 1-2 count and the bases loaded, Hall forced Merrill to pop out to end the inning, bringing the Padres' stranded runners total up to nine for the game. [/p][embed guid="9b74f683-8600-4ddb-a874-a103ccf95ed8" url="https://x.com/MLB/status/2106583803732910240?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]In the bottom of the seventh, it was Contreras who played hero. [/p][p]His go-ahead solo home run that sent the Milwaukee fanbase into a frenzy was just the second hit he had off a Padres pitcher all season and it came at the most crucial time possible against Adrian Morejon.[/p][p]The Brewers' All-Star catcher launched the ball 406 feet, with the ball traveling 104 mph off the bat.[/p][embed guid="37d88d90-cd24-4d9b-bf49-ae0b6ff7f732" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zLjMZmsUy8" social-type="youtube" /][p]The top of the eighth inning brought the nerves back for Brewers fans. [/p][p]San Diego put themselves in another pristine opportunity with runners on the corners, two outs, and none other than Tatis Jr. at the plate. [/p][p]But power pitcher Trevor Megill sent him down swinging on three straight strikes to send the game into the bottom half of the inning. [/p][embed guid="1d01219b-46de-4193-98ad-a7893a33d277" url="https://x.com/MLBONFOX/status/2106591849125167130?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]The Padres showed some life in the top of the ninth as they tried to rally. [/p][p]Dustin Harris recorded his second hit of the game with a single that brought up Machado as the go-ahead run and nobody out. But like Tatis Jr. in the previous inning, Megill sent him down on three heaters. [/p][p]In the next at-bat, controversy ensued. France launched a monstrous shot off Megill that hit off the wires near the rooftop, leaving Chourio to field the fly ball perfectly. The umps ruled it an out, but the ball would've easily been a home run had it not been obstructed. [/p][p]San Diego challenged the ruling to see if it was fair or foul as a last-ditch effort because if it were foul, it'd be ruled a dead ball. But after review, it was ruled fair; Chourio caught the ball, and it's an out in the record books. [/p][p]Megill finished things off to earn the win shortly after.[/p][embed guid="0fc245b7-a5a2-4a2e-bfb8-80a123749fe2" url="https://x.com/MLBONFOX/status/2106596351467274475?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][infobox id="3e982646-21d3-4baf-ac34-10f731dff476" /]