MILWAUKEE — William Contreras hit a tiebreaking home run in the seventh inning, leading the Milwaukee Brewers to a 3-2 victory over the San Diego Padres in their NL Division Series opener on Saturday night. A potential go-ahead home run by the Padres’ Ty France hit the roof of American Family Field and was caught by outfielder Jackson Chourio for an out.
In the ninth inning, with a runner on first and one out, France hit a fly ball that struck a railing on the roof before Chourio caught it in fair territory on the left-field warning track. According to the stadium’s ground rules, any batted ball that strikes the roof or its cables in fair territory is considered a fair ball. The Padres challenged the call, arguing that France’s drive was a foul ball, but the challenge was unsuccessful.
Jackson Merrill then lined out to right, ending the game. Chourio also contributed with a two-run homer, marking the Brewers' 16th win in their last 19 games. The Padres, despite the loss, have only lost four times in their last 24 games, having chased Milwaukee ace Jacob Misiorowski after four innings.
Game 2 of the best-of-five series is scheduled for Sunday, featuring a pitching matchup between San Diego’s Michael King (12-10, 3.21 ERA) and Milwaukee’s Logan Henderson (11-3, 2.47).
Contreras had struggled against the Padres this season, going 1 for 20 before hitting the decisive home run on a 3-2 pitch from Adrian Morejon. His 406-foot shot cleared the wall in right-center field, and he celebrated with teammates as he rounded the bases.
Contreras and his brother Willson Contreras became the fifth set of brothers to homer in the same postseason, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Other notable brother pairs include Ken and Clete Boyer (1964) and Sandy Jr. and Roberto Alomar (1997). Willson Contreras homered in Game 2 of Boston’s AL Wild Card Series loss to the New York Yankees.
San Diego had several scoring opportunities throughout the game, particularly late. The Padres loaded the bases in the seventh inning against Abner Uribe, but DL Hall retired Merrill on a fly ball to left to end the threat. In the eighth, the Padres had runners on first and second with one out, but failed to capitalize as Austin Hays hit a fly ball to right and Trevor Megill struck out Fernando Tatis Jr.
Megill secured the save in the ninth inning, working around a leadoff single to Dustin Harris while receiving assistance from the roof. Milwaukee opened its postseason after winning a franchise-record 103 games, earning home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Misiorowski played a significant role in that success, posting a 1.80 ERA and striking out 252 batters this season.
Misiorowski’s first playoff start featured a pitch clocked at 104.8 mph to Tatis, the fastest postseason pitch recorded since tracking began in 2008. However, he exited earlier than usual as the Padres fouled off 30 of his 88 pitches.
San Diego initially took a 2-0 lead in the second inning, with consecutive one-out singles from Bogaerts, Ethan Salas, and Luis Campusano. Campusano’s hit drove in Bogaerts, and a grounder from Jake Cronenworth allowed Salas to score. The inning could have been more damaging for the Brewers, but Manny Machado grounded out, leaving the bases loaded.
Chourio’s performance was notable, as he hit a 420-foot drive over the wall in left-center for his franchise-record fifth career postseason homer in just his 13th playoff game, surpassing the previous record held by Prince Fielder and Orlando Arcia. According to MLB.com, only Kyle Schwarber and Juan Soto have hit five playoff homers before turning 23.