The 11 ‘What If’ Plays That Won The Brewers Their First-Ever World Series

We remember the Jackson Chourio walk-off against Mason Miller, the back-to-back homers from Jake Bauers and Garrett Mitchell off Blake Snell, the multiple four-run deficits overcome and the eight-run, two-out onslaught at Tropicana Field, but what about the little plays that led to those Brewers wins? The Milwaukee Brewers didn’t simply small-ball their way through their dominant postseason run, but their scrappiness and constant pressure did lead to them winning many of the plays that could have gone either way in each series. Beyond the obvious home runs, big hits and run-scoring moments, don ‘t forget these plays — one from each of the Brewers’ 11 wins — that helped lead to them winning their first World Series title. 1.  The Roof Ball NLDS Game 1 (3-2 W vs. Padres) The first sign that this October would belong to the Brewers came immediately. Ask manager Pat Murphy, and there might have been some divine intervention. When their ace Jacob Misiorowski lasted only four innings, they still pulled out the 3-2 victory against the Padres thanks in part to their stadium. They led by a run with one on and one out in the ninth inning when San Diego first baseman Ty France launched a fastball deep to left field. It looked like it might have had a chance to get out, but it struck a roof cable at American Family Field. This was not a common occurrence, but Chourio alertly got under the ball — by rule, it’s a live ball if it stays in play — and made the catch to help secure the win. If that ball gets out, maybe the series unfolds differently. 2. The 7th-Inning Swing NLDS Game 2 (4-3 W vs. Padres) Unforced errors tend to come back to bite the Brewers’ opponents. In the seventh inning, France hit a two-out single to right field to score Fernando Tatis Jr. and build a 3-1 lead, but Manny Machado was thrown out trying to go first to third by Sal Frelick to end the inning. That would make a difference, given the defensive blunder to follow. In the bottom of the frame, there were two outs and men on the corners when Jake Cronenworth bobbled a soft grounder from David Hamilton and then threw the ball away, cutting the Padres’ deficit to a run. Two innings later, Chourio walked off Miller. 3. The Catch NLDS Game 4 (3-1 W vs. Padres) After winning Game 3 at home, handing the Brewers their only loss of the postseason until Game 4 of the World Series, there were 47,712 roaring fans at Petco Park who watched Machado connect on a 406-foot fly ball in the eighth inning of Game 4 and thought the Padres had tied the game. The way the ball sounded coming off Machado’s bat at 106.7 mph out to right-center — and the way the Padres third baseman admired the shot, clearly thinking he got it, too — made it seem like the series might shift on a two-run blast. But Mitchell battled a bunch of Padres fans in the first row to emerge with the ball, stifling San Diego’s last-gasp effort to keep the series alive. As it turned out, that was as close as any team would get to thwarting the champs. 4. Triple-Double NLCS Game 1 (2-1 W vs. Dodgers) The age of the Dodgers’ lineup — the oldest in MLB — was a popular talking point during the NLCS, and it mattered immediately. The Dodgers grounded into three double plays in Game 1. The most consequential instance came with bases loaded in the second inning and the Brewers’ ace on the mound. Misiorowski was already grinding at 46 pitches when Kiké Hernández hit a ball to Cooper Pratt’s right. The rookie shortstop fielded it, turned his body and threw to second quickly in one motion. Brice Turang then completed the double play, keeping Misiorowski’s pitch count at a more manageable level and ensuring the Dodgers’ one-run lead would stay there. 5. No Challenge NLCS Game 2 (7-4 W vs. Dodgers) This will be remembered as the game with the 12-pitch walk from Bauers and the go-ahead single from Christian Yelich that knocked October star Yoshinobu Yamamoto out of the game in the shortest outing of the 2025 World Series MVP’s playoff career. However, there were smaller parts of that inning and game that also led to the result. One of the biggest problems for the Dodgers that night: Not every catcher is as good at ABS challenges as William Contreras. In the first inning, Will Smith didn’t challenge what would have been strike three to Turang, who then doubled and came around to score the game-tying run. Two innings later, in the inning in which Yamamoto got knocked out of the game, the Brewers had one on and one out when a full-count cutter to Turang caught the outer edge of the plate. It was called a ball. The Brewers’ patience at the plate paid off in this one. But had Smith challenged correctly early on, it’s possible the unforgettable Bauers walk, and all that followed, never happens. 6. Winning The Chess Match NLCS Game 3 (6-2 W vs. LAD): This was the performance that sealed the NLCS MVP for Bauers, who followed his 12-pitch walk against Yamamoto in Game 2 with an 11-pitch homer off Blake Snell in Game 3. It was also one of the biggest examples of the panic and urgency that the overpowering Brewers’ bullpen can cause. Abner Uribe had finally shown a momentary weakness, unable to find the zone with a 1-0 lead in the sixth inning. After he walked the first two batters, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts decided to pinch-hit Andy Pages — who, to that point, had the team’s only two hits with runners in scoring position during the postseason — for Max Muncy, who struck out. After an RBI double from Smith gave the Dodgers the lead, Roberts tried to go for the kill. He pinch-hit Josue De Paula in place of Miguel Rojas. Murphy countered with lefty DL Hall. Roberts then made another switch, subbing out De Paula for the right-handed Hernandez. It didn’t work. Hernandez struck out, and the Dodgers had nearly emptied their bench. That would matter later in the game, when the Brewers made their nightly comeback. 7. Action Jackson NLCS Game 4 (6-4 W vs. Dodgers) Shohei Ohtani had finally given the Dodgers the swing they had been waiting for with a three-run home run in the second inning to put them up 4-0. Then the Brewers did their thing, steadily chipping away at their deficit until it was gone. It seemed like Ohtani might get another chance to be the hero. He was in the on-deck circle in the ninth inning with the Brewers leading by two runs when Hernández scorched a line drive 107.9 mph off the bat — his hardest-hit ball of the season — toward the left-center gap. But Chourio tracked it down, ensuring both that Ohtani would not get another opportunity and that the Brewers would go to the World Series for the first time since 1982. 8. Catching A Break WS Game 1 (3-2 W vs. Rays) The Rays stole more bases than any team in the American League this year, a major part of what made them such a stressful offense to face. Sometimes, though, the best move is the one you don’t make. The Rays were trailing by a run in the fifth inning when Yandy Díaz, who had the highest batting average with runners in scoring position this season, stepped to the plate with Victor Mesa Jr. at second base. Mesa, nonetheless, decided to take off for third. In a huge game across the board for Contreras, the Brewers’ catcher made Mesa pay for that choice by catching him stealing to end the inning. In a one-run loss, that play loomed large. 9. Sending Thoughts WS Game 2 (5-4 W vs. Rays) The Brewers’ constant pressure can cause opponents to make reckless choices. Sometimes, it can yield defensive blunders. Other times, it can lead to imprudent decisions. The Rays’ four-run lead had dwindled down to one with two outs in the sixth inning when Mesa singled through the left side of the infield. Catcher Liam Hicks, who is not particularly fleet of foot, hadn’t even reached third base by the time Chourio fielded the ball in left field. But Rays third-base coach Brady Williams waved Hicks home anyway. The play at the plate wasn’t close. The fact that light-hitting Taylor Walls was on deck likely played into the decision, but that’s also an example of the difference in depth between the two World Series lineups. 10. The Captain’s Slide WS Game 3 (10-1 W vs. Rays) This game will go down in the record books. The Brewers became the first team ever to score eight two-out runs in a single inning of a World Series game. They also became the only team with seven consecutive two-outs in a postseason game. But none of that would have been possible without the hustle from their captain, Christian Yelich. The Brewers led 2-0 with runners on first and second when Contreras grounded a ball to Rays third baseman Junior Caminero. Rather than go across the diamond as the grounder pulled him toward shortstop, Caminero attempted to get Yelich at second base. He beat the ball. Six batters later, their lead ballooned to 10-0. The rest was, quite literally, history. 11. Bauers Ball WS Game 5 (4-1 W vs. Rays) The thing about these Brewers is even when they’re not contributing on one side of the ball, they can still find a way to impact the game. Bauers went just 2-for-21 in the World Series, but without his first-base defense in Game 5, it’s possible things would have unfolded differently. With the Rays trailing by a run, Rays outfielder Ryan Vilade ripped a ball 100.6 mph off the bat that might have gone for extra bases had Bauers not laid out on a diving stop. Bauers then picked himself up and dove to the bag to beat Vilade and start the third inning with an out. An inning later, Bauers came up with an even bigger play, saving third baseman David Hamilton from disaster by securing Hamilton’s high throw across the diamond with two runners in scoring position. Had that ball sailed over Bauers’ head, the Rays could have taken the lead. Instead, Tampa Bay never had a chance to get going in Game 5, and the Brewers celebrated their first World Series win.