Relief Pitcher’s Stunning Homer Helps Turn Tide To Begin NLCS
Brandon Woodruff is no stranger to rounding the bases for a home run in the Major Leagues.
Not even he could’ve envisioned he’d be doing it in the postseason vs one of the best pitchers of this generation.
The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-5 on Friday night at Miller Park in Game 1 of the NLCS to take a 1-0 series lead.
The Milwaukee Brewers call on right-hander Brandon Woodruff to pitch, but if you give him a bat, he’s shown in a small sample size he can swing it.
The Brewers’ reliever would stun the baseball world with a home run off Clayton Kershaw in Game 1 of the NLCS which dramatically shifted the momentum of the game.
Milwaukee would take over the game following the improbable home run by, Woodruff, who bats lefty.
Woodruff became just the third reliever in MLB history to hit a home run in the postseason, and his home run to tie Game 1 was huge.
Josh Hader (1-0) would pick up the win out of the bullpen for the Milwaukee Brewers as he continued his dominant postseason.
Clayton Kershaw’s postseason career has been full of disappointing moments, but he may have been dealt the most unexpected one when he gave up the game-changing home run to a Brandon Woodruff in the third inning.
Woodruff, who entered the at-bat 4-for-18 lifetime with a HR, took the Dodgers ace deep from the left side as the homer tied the game at 1-1.
That homer would energize a roaring Miller Park, which turned into the beginning of a momentum shift in the game as the Brewers tacked on another run to make it a 2-1 game.
The Brewers would keep it rolling in the fourth inning vs a struggling Kershaw as Domingo Santana, pinch-hitting, would hit a two-run RBI single off the left-hander to chase him from the game.
Ryan Braun would add to that lead with Kershaw now out of the game as a he ripped a two-out RBI single to score Domingo Santana from second base to make it a 5-1 game.
Counsell would go to his to reliever Josh Hader to begin the fifth inning as Hader would dominate the Dodgers, striking out two in the inning.
Yasmani Grandal would have a forgettable night behind the plate as he would finish the game with two errors and two passed balls. The Dodgers would collect four total errors on the night.
Manny Machado, who homered in the second inning off left-hander Gio Gonzalez to give Los Angeles a 1-0 lead, represented Los Angeles’ only hit in the game until a sixth inning single by left fielder Chris Taylor.
Los Angeles would mount a rally in the eighth inning, scoring three runs with two outs in the inning against reliever Joakim Soria. Jeremy Jeffress would relieve Soria with two outs and pick up a huge strikeout against pinch-hitter Yasiel Puig to end the inning.
The Dodgers would get a RBI triple by Chris Taylor with two outs in the ninth inning off Corey Knebel. The late rally would be halted, however, as Knebel recovered to strikeout Justin Turner to end the game.
Milwaukee would go on to out-hit the Dodgers high-powered offense 11 to 8 as Lorenzo Cain led the way with three hits for the Brew Crew.
Craig Counsell’s Brewers had a lengthy four days off after sweeping the Colorado Rockies in the NLDS, but the team doesn’t appear to have cooled off in any way.
The only negative to take away from the game in Milwaukee’s side is the fact that their bullpen showed signs of cracking in letting a six-run lead turn into a one-run game in the ninth inning.
That’s uncharacteristic of this bullpen, which surrendered four runs over the final two innings.
Dave Roberts’ and the Dodgers knew that it would be a challenge having to start a best-of-seven series on the road. It’s going to be especially difficult for Los Angeles to now send this series back to Los Angeles tied at 1-1 vs a team that has now won 12 consecutive games dating back to the regular-season.
Though close to staging an improbable comeback win in Game 1, its a 0-1 series deficit for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Milwaukee’s ability to rally against Kershaw, even if it was under the most unusual of ways, sets the tone for this NLCS and puts the pressure on Los Angeles on the road.
Clayton Kershaw (0-1) fell to 8-8 lifetime in the postseason as he made his 21st career playoff start on Friday night at Miller Park. He surrendered four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out two over three innings.
The southpaw thrower’s latest postseason setback isn’t as shocking as it is mind-numbing for Dodgers nation as he followed his best career playoff start vs the Atlanta Braves in Game 2 of the NLDS with a stinker in Game 1 of the NLCS.
Not to dwell on his struggles, Los Angeles will have to rebound on Saturday left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu on the mound as Wade Miley will look to help turn back the Dodgers to give Milwaukee a 2-0 series lead.
What are your thoughts on Milwaukee’s Game 1 victory over the Dodgers? Leave your comments below!