MILWAUKEE — There was the Milwaukee Brewers’ magical defensive play Monday night that no one has ever witnessed in a postseason game.
There was Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman tormenting the Brewers again with a towering home run and a double.
There was former Dodgers closer Blake Treinen coming in to rescue the kid who took his job.
But, in the end, it was all about Dodgers starter Blake Snell.
This was his game.
This was his night.
This was his piece of history.
Snell, in one of the finest playoff performances ever, put on a pitching clinic for the ages in the Dodgers’ 2-1 victory over the Brewers in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series. He was in complete control from the first pitch to the last, leaving both sides believing they’ve never seen anything like it.
“This is as good as I can remember in the postseason,’ Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, “against a very gritty team. You’re not going to see too many performances like that, certainly in the postseason. This was pretty special.’
Snell not only faced the minimum 24 batters in eight innings, but also he retired the last 17 batters without a single ball leaving the infield.
Not. One. Single. Ball.
The Dodgers outfield could have spent their time sipping adult beverages while Snell was on the mound.
Only Brewers third baseman’s Caleb Durbin’s third-inning single prevented him from possibly joining Don Larsen in the 1956 World Series as the only ones to pitch a perfect game in the postseason.
Snell still became the first pitcher in postseason history to allow no more than one hit, no walks, and strike out 10 or more batters in at least eight shutout innings. He is only the fourth pitcher to face the minimum number of hitters through eight innings, joining Larsen, Bill James in the 1914 World Series and Hall of Fame pitcher Chief Bender in the 1910 World Series.
“The kid is incredible,’ Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “I think it’s the most dominant performance against us. I’ve been here 10 years. The kid was amazing. Snell was unbelievable.
“We couldn’t get anything going.’
The Brewers never even sniffed a rally during Snell’s eight innings. He threw 103 pitches, and the Brewers swung and missed 22 times. He threw 23 changeups, and the Brewers swung and missed 14 times.
The best postseason pitching performance they’ve ever seen?
“I can’t think of one that was just off the top of my head,’ Freeman said, “that was just so good from the start. Sometimes it takes an inning or two for someone to settle in. It was from the get-go. It was a masterpiece tonight.
“He’s amazing. There’s a reason he’s a two-time Cy Young Award winner. He’s on the big stage now, and he’s just doing what he’s always done.’
Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts, who has played in 81 postseason games over nine years with two teams, certainly couldn’t think of a game more dominant performance, suffocating the life out of a team from start to finish.
“That’s pretty hard to do,’ Betts said. “That was electric, lights out.’
The Brewers, who managed to finally break though in the ninth when Roberts pulled Snell after 103 pitches and went to rookie Roki Sasaki, were left astounded
“It seemed like he was hitting corners with everything,’ Brewers second baseman Brice Turang, who struck out with the bases loaded to end the game. “It felt like the ball was just sort of disappearing once it got to the box. He was commanding the zone. He was throwing every pitch for a strike.’
Said Brewers center fielder Sal Frelick: “He was definitely on his game tonight. Executed and really didn’t give us too many good pitches to hit. We face a ton of really good pitchers, right? And when we see guys like that, you kind of got to choke up on the bat, find a way to get on base.
“We didn’t do that tonight.’
Not even close.
Snell, who threw his fastball for only 51 of the 103 pitches, relying heavily on his changeup, almost toyed with the Brewers. He had such pinpoint command they didn’t have a chance.
Then again, it’s not much different than what Snell has done for the past four weeks. Snell is yielding a 0.68 ERA in his last six starts since Sept. 10, giving up 15 hits over 40 innings with 56 strikeouts. He’s the only pitcher in history to go 5-0 with a sub-1.00 ERA with at least 50 strikeouts and permitting 15 or fewer hits over six starts since ERA became an official stat in 1913, according to OptaSTATS.
He has looked like Sandy Koufax this postseason, going 3-0 with a 0.86 ERA, giving up only six hits with 28 strikeouts. He has given up a run in only one of his 21 innings this postseason, retiring the side in order 16 times.
It’s hard to believe this is the same guy who had 10 postseason starts in his career before signing his five-year, $182 million free agent contact last winter with the Dodgers, never lasting more than 5 ⅔ innings. He has gone at least six innings in each of his three starts.
“Postseason, if you dominate and you do great,’ Snell said, “no one can say anything. That’s probably the best feeling is you get to prove yourself right, or you get to go out there and you fail. But at least you get to learn and grow and see who you are and how do you get better from it.’’
Snell was never in a jam the entire night and perhaps his most impressive feat was shutting down the Brewers just when it looked like the game could turn after one of the zaniest double plays in history.
The Dodgers loaded the bases with one out in the fourth inning when Max Muncy sent Quinn Priester’s cut-fastball 404 feet to center field, potentially over the center-field wall for a grand slam. Brewers center fielder Sal Frelick leaped, brought the ball back, but it bounced off the wall back into his glove.
The Dodgers, who initially thought the ball was going over the fence, froze. Then, they thought Frelick caught the ball, even though left-field umpire Chad Fairchild ruled the ball was in play.
Teoscar Hernandez, who had gone back to tag up at third base, raced home. Frelick fired a strike to cutoff man Joey Ortiz, who fired home, just ahead of Hernandez, who didn’t realize it was a force play.
Meanwhile, Brewers catcher William Contreras, realizing that Will Smith, who headed back to second base believing the ball was caught, sprinted to third base.
Out at home. Out at third. Double play.
It was the first 8-6-2 double play in postseason history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
“It’s got to be the longest double play in history, too, right?’ Muncy said. “That was unbelievable.’
But while the sellout crowd of 41,737 were going bonkers, and the Brewers were wildly celebrating running off the field, Snell never lost his composure. He opened the fourth by striking out leadoff hitter Jackson Chourio and Christian Yelich and induced a comebacker from William Contreras. He retired the next 12 batters, too, without a single player hitting the ball out of the infield.
“That was huge for Blake,’ Smith said, “to put up another zero right back out there.’
It was just the latest gem for this starting rotation. The Dodgers’ four starters have a 1.65 ERA in seven games this postseason, yielding a .141 batting average with 56 strikeouts. They have struck out at least nine batters in five games, their most in a single postseason in franchise history.
“I don’t know if you can write enough words in your stories about our starting pitching,’ Freeman said. “It really has been amazing. They seem to feed off each other. And as an offense, we’re just doing everything we can to support them.’
And Snelll, who doesn’t have a World Series ring, just helped the Dodgers move one game closer to becoming the first team to win back-to-back titles in a quarter-century.
“To be here now, it’s a dream come true,’’ Snell said. “I couldn’t wish for anything more. I’m just going to do the best I can to help us win a World Series.’
Certainly, he did just that on a magical evening.
Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale