MILWAUKEE — Jackson Chourio singled in two runs with the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth inning to give the Milwaukee Brewers a 4-3 walk-off victory over the visiting San Diego Padres on Sunday and a 2-0 lead in their best-of-five National League Division Series (NLDS).
The Brewers, with home-field advantage throughout the playoffs after winning 103 games, trailed 3-2 entering the ninth against Padres closer Mason Miller trying to complete a six-out save.
Christian Yelich and Sal Frelick drew consecutive one-out walks. Pinch-hitter Gary Sanchez walked with two outs and Chourio followed with a line drive to center off a 101-mph fastball from Miller, who had 38 saves in the regular season and one in the wild-card sweep of the Cubs.
“Watching those at-bats beforehand, I knew that he was a little bit erratic,” Chourio said via translator. “He was throwing some balls. I knew that he was going to come at me with the fastball at some point, so mentally I was just making sure that I was prepared for that.”
Padres manager Craig Stammen asked Miller to complete two innings twice during the regular season, most recently on Sept. 4 in a 3-2 10-inning victory over the New York Yankees in San Diego.
“I think top of the lineup (batting) in the eighth probably made that decision for Mason,” Stammen said. “I think going into the game we were thinking of Mason for six outs anyway, especially how quick the eighth inning went for him. He was just battling the strike zone there at the end.”
The Brewers were stymied early by Padres starter Michael King, who allowed one run on three hits and departed after hitting Chourio with a pitch to open the sixth.
King retired the first 14 hitters before Yelich’s two-out double to right in the fifth inning. Frelick’s RBI single pulled Milwaukee within 2-1.
San Diego capitalized on the Brewers’ third error for an unearned run in the seventh off Abner Uribe to go in front 3-1. Fernando Tatis, Jr. reached on a error by third baseman David Hamilton and Manny Machado drew a two-out walk. Ty France followed with an RBI single, but the inning ended with Machado being thrown out trying to advance to third.
The Brewers got an unearned run back in the bottom half when Garrett Mitchell singled, advanced to third on a walk and fielder’s choice and scored on an error by second baseman Jake Cronenworth. — Reuters