Brice Turang’s fourth-inning home run off Dodgers ace Tarik Skubal sparked the Milwaukee Brewers to a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series. The win came Sunday night, October 11, at American Family Field in Milwaukee, snapping a long run of postseason frustration against their National League rival.
Los Angeles struck first, scoring in the second inning to take an early lead. Milwaukee answered in the fourth, then grabbed the go-ahead run in the fifth, setting the tone for a tense pitchers’ battle that stretched deep into the night.
Turang’s Blast Ties It Up
Turang led off the bottom of the fourth with a solo shot that traveled 384 feet to left-center field, knotting the score at 1-1. It marked just the second career postseason homer for the Brewers infielder, whose previous playoff showing was rough by comparison. Last year’s NLCS saw Turang go 1 for 15 with six strikeouts, so Sunday’s blast against one of baseball’s top pitchers carried extra weight.
The go-ahead run came an inning later. Garrett Mitchell scored from second base on a single by Luis Lara in the fifth inning, giving Milwaukee the lead it would not relinquish.
A Gritty Start From Misiorowski
On the mound, Jacob Misiorowski battled through traffic all night. He needed 94 pitches to record 13 outs, allowing five singles and three walks across five innings, and none of those innings came easy. Still, he kept the Dodgers largely off the scoreboard, limiting them to a single run despite the constant baserunners.
Part of that survival act came down to Los Angeles’ own struggles at the plate with runners on base. The Dodgers grounded into three double plays in the first five innings, repeatedly snuffing out rallies before they could develop. The irony stung: Los Angeles led the National League this season with 128 double plays turned, the third-most in all of baseball. On this night, that same tendency to hit into double plays worked against them rather than for them.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy praised his starter and the relief corps that followed him. “He gave us 4⅓, and our bullpen continues to be really special,” Murphy said, referring to Misiorowski’s outing and the relievers who closed it out.
Ninth-Inning Scare
The drama wasn’t finished. Los Angeles threatened again in the ninth inning after a pair of two-out walks off Brewers closer Trevor Megill put the tying and go-ahead runs aboard. Mookie Betts stepped up with a chance to flip the result, but he flied out to center field for the final out, sealing the 2-1 win for Milwaukee and sending the home crowd into celebration.
The victory carries significance beyond a single game in the standings. Milwaukee had dropped seven consecutive postseason games against the Dodgers, a skid that included a sweep in last year’s NLCS. That history loomed large heading into this series, and breaking it in Game 1 gives the Brewers a psychological boost as much as a tactical one.
The weight of that rivalry runs deeper still for Milwaukee. The franchise’s only World Series appearance came in 1982, when the club was part of the American League. Last season ended in disappointment when the Dodgers swept the Brewers in four games in the NLCS en route to winning their second consecutive World Series title. For a franchise still chasing its first National League pennant, Sunday’s win represented a rare measure of payback against the team that has repeatedly blocked its path.
Looking Ahead to Game 2
The series shifts quickly, with Game 2 scheduled for Monday and an earlier start time of 2 p.m. Pacific Time on Fox. The pitching matchup features Yoshinobu Yamamoto taking the mound for Los Angeles against Brewers right-hander Logan Henderson, a pairing that sets up another compelling pitching duel after Sunday’s tightly contested opener.
For the Dodgers, the loss means they’ll need to regroup quickly against a Milwaukee team that has now shown it can match them at their own game, surviving traffic on the bases and getting timely production from unexpected sources. For the Brewers, the challenge is building on momentum without letting history repeat itself, given how often this matchup has tilted in Los Angeles’ favor in recent postseasons.
With the series now shifting into Game 2, both clubs will look to adjust. Milwaukee will try to carry forward the energy of Turang’s homer and its bullpen’s execution, while Los Angeles looks to clean up the baserunning issues that cost it chances to pull away. The early edge belongs to the Brewers, but with six games potentially remaining, neither side is treating one win as decisive.
