MILWAUKEE — Blake Snell allowed one baserunner and struck out 10 in eight shutout innings as the Dodgers opened the National League Championship Series with a 2-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday night.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy called it perhaps the most dominant performance he’s seen by an opposing pitcher in the 10 years he’s been on Milwaukee’s staff.
“It was a masterpiece tonight,” said Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, whose solo homer in the sixth inning broke a scoreless tie.
Snell allowed one single, walked none and picked off Caleb Durbin after his leadoff hit in the third. Snell, who retired his final 17 batters, became the first pitcher to face the minimum 24 batters through eight innings in a postseason game since Don Larsen pitched his perfect game for the Yankees against the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1956 World Series.
Snell has yielded two runs in 21 innings in his first postseason with the Dodgers after they signed him to a five-year, $182 million contract, but Los Angeles’ shaky bullpen nearly wasted his brilliant effort.
Trailing 2-0 to start the ninth, the Brewers scored a run charged to rookie Roki Sasaki and loaded the bases before Blake Treinen struck out Brice Turang on a neck-high 2-and-2 fastball to end the game.
One pitch earlier, Treinen nearly hit Turang in the leg with a sweeper, which would have tied it.
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Teoscar Hernández is forced out at home by Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras during the fourth inning in Game 1 of baseball’s National League Championship Series, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Milwaukee. Credit: AP/Brynn Anderson
“You turn your leg, you wear it,” Turang said. “Just like a natural reaction to get out of the way. The last pitch, he’s a big sinker guy. He threw a four-seamer up at the top. That’s just what it is. You move on. As much as it sucks, you move on.”
The Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto will face the Brewers’ Freddy Peralta in a matchup of All-Stars in Game 2 of the best-of-seven series Tuesday night.
The Dodgers led 2-0 when they handed the ball to Sasaki in the ninth after Snell threw 103 pitches. Snell didn’t try to talk manager Dave Roberts into letting him pitch the ninth. “I felt I could have,” he said. “But I trust Dave. He knows what’s best for the team.”
The Brewers’ Isaac Collins drew a one-out walk against Sasaki and pinch hitter Jake Bauers smacked a ground-rule double to center. Jackson Chourio’s sacrifice fly made it 2-1 and advanced pinch runner Brandon Lockridge to third.
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman hits a double during the eighth inning of Game 1 of baseball’s National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Milwaukee. Credit: AP/Morry Gash
Christian Yelich walked on a 3-and-2 pitch and Roberts replaced Sasaki with Treinen. After Yelich stole second, William Contreras walked on a 3-and-2 pitch to load the bases for Turang.
“That’s kind of what you envision in the playoffs,’’ Freeman said of the drama. “You’re on the edge of your seat for all nine innings.’’
The Dodgers were hurt by a bizarre 8-6-2 double play that was inches away from becoming a grand slam for Max Muncy in the fourth inning.
Muncy blasted a drive off Quinn Priester that was headed out of the ballpark before Sal Frelick reached his glove over the centerfield wall. The ball popped out of Frelick’s glove and hit the top of the fence before he caught it in the air.
The three runners headed back to their bases, believing Frelick had made the catch. Frelick fired to shortstop Joey Ortiz, who relayed to Contreras to force out Teoscar Hernandez at home. Contreras then jogged to third to force out Will Smith.
“It happened fast,” Roberts said. “I didn’t know he didn‘t catch it, to be quite honest.”
Freeman’s home run went so high that it got tantalizingly close to the American Family Field roof before barely clearing the rightfield wall. Mookie Betts drew a bases-loaded walk from Abner Uribe in the ninth.
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