Mason Miller Walks the Bases Loaded, Brewers Walk Off to Take 2-0 NLDS Lead Over Padres

Milwaukee won Game 1 3-2 in controversial fashion, after Ty France's towering fly ball hit the roof at American Family Field and fell into Jackson Chourio's glove for an out. On Sunday night, the Brewers beat San Diego again, 4-3, and this time there was no controversy to hide behind. San Diego's bullpen just lost it.

Closer Mason Miller, arguably the best reliever in baseball this season, came on in the eighth inning with the Padres up 3-2. He needed six outs for the save. He got the first three on just 12 pitches, striking out two.

Christian Yelich walked on five pitches and stole second. Sal Frelick walked on a 3-2 count. Miller got Andrew Vaughn to fly out, but then Gary Sánchez walked on six straight pitches. Bases loaded, two outs, nobody hit.

Jackson Chourio fouled off a 103.5 mph fastball, took a low slider, then lined a 101.3 mph pitch just past a diving Jake Cronenworth at second base and into center field. Game over. Brewers win 4-3. According to the Associated Press, it was the first time in Miller's postseason career he'd walked three batters in a single appearance.

"Terrible," Miller told reporters afterward, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune's Annie Heilbrunn, whose reporting was carried by TheScore. "I didn't do my job today, so instead of being in here with a win and a series tie, we're in a hole, so it feels pretty bad."

Miller didn't look for excuses. "The cardinal rule is pretty much: you don't beat yourself. And I beat myself today," he said. "A base hit with nobody on doesn't win them the game. A base hit after you walk the bases loaded does."

The Decision to Push Miller for Six Outs

Padres manager Craig Stammen defended his call to leave Miller in for a second inning rather than turning to a fresh arm in the ninth. "Top of the lineup in the eighth probably made that decision for Mason," Stammen said, per Heilbrunn's reporting. "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."

Miller had just needed 12 pitches to shut the door in the eighth, and his stuff was still electric. He topped 100 mph on 18 of his 40 pitches on the night, his heaviest workload since 2023. The reasoning that a dominant closer on a short pitch count deserves a shot at closing out two innings isn't unreasonable.

But the numbers also show Miller wasn't quite the same pitcher he'd been all year. He carried a 0.79 ERA through the end of July, according to the Associated Press, then posted a 3.33 ERA from August 1 through the end of the regular season. He still finished with a National League-leading 38 saves in 41 chances, a 1.67 ERA, and 129 strikeouts over 70 innings, elite numbers by any measure. Whether that late-season dip should have factored into Sunday's decision is the kind of second-guess that comes easy after a blown lead and hard before one.

Padres Facing a 2-0 Hole With Their Ace Likely Unavailable

San Diego came into October as one of baseball's hottest teams, closing the regular season strong to clinch a playoff berth and sweeping the Chicago Cubs in the Wild Card round by a combined score of 12-1. None of that has shown up against Milwaukee.

Game 1 was lost 3-2 when reliever Adrian Morejon surrendered a go-ahead homer to William Contreras in the seventh. Game 2 starter Michael King was excellent, five innings, three hits, one run, six strikeouts, but he's unlikely to be available again for either of the next two games, according to Newsweek.

First baseman Ty France tried to keep perspective after Sunday's loss. "Two really good games that didn't go our way," he said, according to the Associated Press. "Just go back home and play each game like it's our last."

The Padres swept Milwaukee in a three-game series during the regular season, so they know the Brewers can be beaten. But now they need to win three straight just to survive, starting with Nick Pivetta on the mound Tuesday night at Petco Park. Miller said he expects to be ready again. "It's not the first save I've blown and it probably won't be the last one I blow, either," he said. "I'm going to come back and be prepared to pitch Tuesday and do my best to help the team win."