The Milwaukee Brewers are now in need of just one more win to secure their second-consecutive trip to the NLCS after they pulled a rabbit out of a hat on Sunday to stun the San Diego Padres in a 4-3 victory. Facing the best closer in MLB in 2026 in Mason Miller while down by one run heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, the Brewers did not quit.
They waited out Miller and took advantage of his shaky command, drawing three walks to load the bases. Miller did get two outs, setting the stage for a clash against Brewers star Jackson Chourio with two outs and the bases loaded. The Padres closer then got Chourio to his final strike, but on the 2-2 pitch, Chourio hit a 101.3 mph fastball straight up the middle and to center fielder Jackson Merrill, which scored two runs.
This Brewers team is resilient and talented, and not even a reliever as unhittable as Miller was in the regular season (1.67 ERA, 129 strikeouts in 70.0 innings, 38 saves) is invincible. Milwaukee showed that they will fight until the very end, and Trevor Megill, the winning pitcher on the night who threw a three-up, three-down top of the ninth, put it perfectly in his postgame interview.
“It's never over 'til it is. It's playoffs. I mean, any of those s**t can happen any time,” Megill said, via Wisconsin Sports Radio Network on X. “Tip the cap to the boys.”
Article Continues Below"It's never over, til it is" -Trevor Megill of the #Brewers pic.twitter.com/gxhELWMQUR
— Wisconsin Sports Radio Network (@wisportsradio) October 4, 2026
Chourio may get all the plaudits for his walk-off heroics, but this victory was a team effort for the Brewers. If it weren't for Aaron Ashby, who held the Padres scoreless in the top of the eighth, and Megill, the Brewers may have had to overturn a larger deficit in the bottom of the ninth.
Milwaukee did not win 103 games in the regular season as a fluke, and it's this never-say-die attitude that should get them places in the 2026 MLB postseason.