Dodgers vs Brewers Game 1: Why the Regular Season Sweep Didn't Matter

Baseball is a liar.

If you looked at the regular season stats heading into the 2025 NLCS, the Milwaukee Brewers should have been the heavy favorites. They owned the Dodgers. Literally. A six-game sweep during the summer had everyone in Wisconsin thinking this was finally the year the "small market" crew would dismantle the Hollywood juggernaut.

Then Blake Snell happened.

Honestly, the Dodgers vs Brewers Game 1 matchup was supposed to be a tight, nervous affair at American Family Field. Instead, it turned into a pitching clinic that reminded everyone why Los Angeles pays the luxury tax without blinking. Snell, who wasn't even around when Milwaukee was beating up on the Dodgers in July, walked onto that mound and threw a masterpiece.

He went eight innings. One hit. Zero walks. Ten strikeouts.

That sort of dominance feels illegal in the modern "bullpen game" era of the postseason. We’re used to seeing managers yank their starters the second a hitter looks at them funny in the fifth inning. Dave Roberts, though? He let Snell cook.

The "Almost" Grand Slam and the Weirdest Double Play You'll Ever See

Before we get into the box score heroics, we have to talk about the fourth inning. It was basically a fever dream.

Max Muncy stepped up with the bases loaded. He absolutely tattooed a ball to dead center. Everyone—and I mean everyone—thought it was a grand slam. Sal Frelick, who apparently has springs in his cleats, tracked it to the wall, leaped, and brought it back into play.

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Chaos.

Because nobody knew if he caught it or if it hit the fence, the baserunning became a total comedy of errors. Teoscar Hernández hesitated at third. Will Smith retreated to second. The ball was live, but the Dodgers were frozen.

It ended up as an 8-6-2 unassisted double play. A ball hit 400 feet resulted in two outs and zero runs. In a Dodgers vs Brewers Game 1 that ended with a 2-1 score, that play was the difference between a blowout and a nail-biter.

Freddie Freeman: The Postseason Specialist

Freddie Freeman is inevitable.

After a relatively quiet NLDS, he showed up when it mattered. The game was a 0-0 stalemate in the sixth when he faced Brewers rookie Chad Patrick. Patrick had been pitching out of his mind, but Freeman is a different breed of hitter.

He sat on a pitch and sent a solo shot into the right-field seats.

1-0 Dodgers.

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It wasn't a massive explosion of offense, but in a game where Snell was pitching like a cyborg, it felt like a mountain of a lead. Freeman later added a double, further cementing his case as one of the most reliable October performers in the history of the franchise.

Why the Brewers' Ninth Inning Rally Fell Short

The Dodgers' bullpen is, to put it mildly, an adventure.

Roki Sasaki came in for the ninth to close it out. He’s a rookie with a 100 mph fastball, but the postseason nerves looked real. He walked a couple, gave up a ground-rule double to Jake Bauers, and suddenly the Brewers were on the board.

2-1. Bases loaded.

The stadium was shaking. You could feel the "here we go again" energy from the Dodger fans in the building. Dave Roberts had to pull the plug and bring in the veteran, Blake Treinen.

Treinen faced Brice Turang. It was a high-leverage moment that lasted what felt like an hour. Turang nearly got hit by a pitch, fouled off some tough stuff, but ultimately swung through a high heater.

Game over.

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Dodgers vs Brewers Game 1: The Tactical Breakdown

If you're looking for why the Dodgers took this one, it comes down to three specific things:

1. Snell’s Efficiency: He averaged under 13 pitches per inning. By not walking anybody, he never gave the Brewers' "chaos" baserunning a chance to start.
2. The Veteran Edge: While the Brewers relied on rookies like Chad Patrick and Quinn Priester in key spots, the Dodgers' runs came from a former MVP and a bases-loaded walk earned by Mookie Betts.
3. The Pickoff: Early in the game, Caleb Durbin got the only hit off Snell. He tried to be aggressive and get into Snell's head. Snell just picked him off first. Momentum killed.

The Brewers won eight straight against LA if you count the regular season. But as Pat Murphy said after the game, the postseason is a different animal.

What This Means for the Rest of the Series

Winning Game 1 on the road is huge. The Dodgers basically stole the home-field advantage immediately.

Milwaukee has a great squad, but their bats went cold at the worst possible time. Jackson Chourio had a sacrifice fly in the ninth, but their big hitters—Yelich and Contreras—were neutralized for most of the night.

If you're Milwaukee, you've gotta hope the bullpen's near-collapse in the ninth is a sign that the Dodgers' relief corps is vulnerable. Because if they have to face Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 2 with this much pressure, things could get ugly fast.

Actionable Insights for Fans and Analysts

• Watch the Pitch Counts: If the Dodgers continue to get 7+ innings from their starters, the Brewers' elite bullpen becomes a non-factor. Milwaukee needs to drive up pitch counts early.
• Aggressive Baserunning: The Brewers are at their best when they're stealing bases and taking extras. They were too timid in Game 1 after the Durbin pickoff. They need to get back to being "vultures" on the paths.
• Muncy's Power: Keep an eye on Max Muncy. He didn't get the home run in the fourth, but he's seeing the ball well. He’s due for a multi-HR game soon.

The Dodgers took the 1-0 lead, but if the ninth inning showed us anything, it's that this series is going to be a stressful ride for everyone involved. Don't be surprised if this goes the full seven games.