MILWAUKEE (AP) – The Los Angeles Dodgers emerged victorious in a thrilling, nerve-wracking opener of the National League Championship Series (NLCS), defeating the Milwaukee Brewers 2-1 on Monday night. Behind an extraordinary performance by Blake Snell and a tense bullpen effort, the Dodgers managed to hold off a late Brewers’ rally to secure a pivotal Game 1 win.
Blake Snell, the two-time Cy Young Award winner, was nothing short of spectacular on the mound. He allowed just one baserunner—Caleb Durbin’s leadoff single in the third inning—while striking out 10 Brewers hitters and walking none. It was a dominant display by the left-hander, who threw 103 pitches over eight shutout innings, keeping Milwaukee’s batters off balance with his electric fastball and devastating slider.
The Dodgers took a 2-0 lead into the top of the ninth, but the game was far from over. Manager Dave Roberts turned to his bullpen, first calling upon Roki Sasaki to protect the lead. Sasaki had been impressive during the NL Division Series, throwing 5 1/3 scoreless innings in relief against the Philadelphia Phillies, but he struggled in this game.
The Brewers, fighting to avoid falling behind in the series, mounted a dramatic rally. Isaac Collins drew a one-out walk off Sasaki, and Jake Bauers followed with a ground-rule double that bounced over the center-field wall, putting runners on second and third with just one out.
Jackson Chourio then hit a sacrifice fly to score Collins, narrowing the gap to 2-1 and advancing pinch-runner Brandon Lockridge to third. Christian Yelich worked a walk on a full count, and the Brewers had the tying and go-ahead runs on base with two outs.
In a high-stakes move, Roberts pulled Sasaki and brought in Blake Treinen to face William Contreras. The tension in the stadium was palpable as Treinen faced Contreras, who also worked a full-count walk, loading the bases for the Brewers.
With the game on the line and the bases loaded, Brice Turang stepped up to the plate. The crowd held its breath as Treinen fired a pitch that nearly hit Turang, which would have tied the game. But Turang swung at the next pitch, a 2-2 fastball high and inside, and missed, striking out to end the game. The Dodgers’ bullpen, though shaky, managed to hold on, securing a 2-1 victory to start the series with a win.
Despite the nail-biting finish, the Dodgers’ pitching staff and Freddie Freeman’s sixth-inning home run were enough to get the job done. Freeman’s solo shot was the highlight of the night, breaking a scoreless tie and giving the Dodgers a 1-0 lead in the sixth. The blast came off Brewers’ starter Chad Patrick, who had been cruising up until that point, having shut down the Dodgers’ offense for much of the game.
Freeman, who had been largely quiet in the postseason up to that point, connected on a 3-2 pitch from Patrick, sending it deep into the right-field stands. The ball barely cleared the wall, tantalizingly close to the American Family Field roof, but it counted nonetheless. It was Freeman’s first home run of the 2025 postseason and came at a critical time when the Dodgers needed a spark.
The Dodgers would tack on another run in the ninth inning, a crucial insurance run. With the bases loaded and two outs, Mookie Betts drew a walk from Brewers’ reliever Abner Uribe, forcing in a run and pushing the Dodgers’ lead to 2-0. Though the Brewers rallied in the bottom half of the ninth, this extra run would prove vital as it gave the Dodgers a slight cushion, which Treinen would hold on to.
The Brewers, despite their late-game rally, were left lamenting missed opportunities throughout the contest. Milwaukee’s defense came up huge at one point, turning one of the strangest double plays in postseason history to thwart a potential Dodgers’ big inning in the fourth. With the bases loaded, Max Muncy belted a drive off Quinn Priester that seemed destined for a grand slam. But Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick made an incredible play, reaching over the center-field wall to catch the ball, though it briefly popped out of his glove before bouncing off the top of the fence and into his grasp.
The Dodgers’ base runners had already returned to their respective bases, believing the ball had been caught, which allowed Frelick to throw to shortstop Joey Ortiz, who then relayed the ball to catcher William Contreras, who tagged out Teoscar Hernández at home. Contreras then jogged to third base and forced out Will Smith, completing the double play and saving what could have been a massive inning for Los Angeles.
The Dodgers also squandered other scoring opportunities throughout the game, including leaving runners on first and second with one out in the fifth and failing to cash in after Freeman’s homer in the sixth. In the eighth inning, Freeman reached third with one out but was stranded when Tommy Edman struck out swinging against Brewers reliever Trevor Megill.
Despite the missed chances, the Dodgers managed to secure the win thanks to Snell’s brilliance on the mound and a key performance by their bullpen, highlighted by Treinen’s high-pressure strikeout to end the game.
The win was especially sweet for Los Angeles, given the history between the two teams. The Brewers had swept the Dodgers in their six regular-season matchups, all of which came in July while Snell was sidelined with shoulder inflammation. The Dodgers will be hoping that Snell’s dominant performance in Game 1 is a sign of things to come as they attempt to advance to their second consecutive World Series.
Looking ahead, Game 2 of the best-of-seven NLCS is set for Tuesday night. The pitching matchup features two All-Star aces: Yoshinobu Yamamoto for Los Angeles and Freddy Peralta for Milwaukee. Yamamoto will be making his first postseason start for the Dodgers, while Peralta will be looking to continue his solid postseason run for the Brewers.
This series is shaping up to be a fascinating contrast of styles. The Brewers, playing in MLB’s smallest market, have quietly become one of the most dangerous teams in the league, while the Dodgers, with their massive payroll and star-studded roster, are looking to defend their World Series crown. As both teams continue to battle it out in the NLCS, one thing is clear: this postseason is far from over.
