The Milwaukee Brewers were 8-6 heading into Saturday’s game versus the Philadelphia Phillies. This was an exciting matchup as both teams have dominated baseball throughout the last decade and were playing together in this elite matchup. The Philadelphia Phillies had their ace on the mound, Zack Wheeler, as he faced up against Brewers starter Adrian Houser. This matchup consisted of a shaky start for both pitchers, a wild fifth inning, and a hit that changed the ballgame completely. These three aspects within the ballgame proved to be quite the performance for the Milwaukee Brewers, and was very entertaining to watch.

• Coming into Saturday, the Milwaukee Brewers had lost the game prior to the Philadelphia Phillies and were looking to even out the series. Coming into a rough crowd at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, the Milwaukee Brewers were trying to come out on top and give them a win on the road. Adrian Houser started off the game for the Brewers and gave up an RBI double to Nick Castellanos which gave the score in favor of Philadelphia 1-0. Houser continued to struggle in the third inning, giving up an RBI single and a sacrifice fly, which gave Philadelphia a 3-0 lead. The offense was nowhere to be found and as the innings got later, it gave Milwaukee less time to make the comeback needed to win the ballgame. 

• Zack Wheeler was dominating the Brewers offense having only given up two hits in four innings with three strikeouts to add. Normally, pitchers start to fatigue as their arm can only handle throwing 90-100 miles per hour for so long. Just when the Brewers needed a spark, Hunter Renfroe started off the inning with a double to deep right field. This was the start to a much needed rally. Shortly after, Omar Narvaez struck out and left Renfroe on second base with one out. Next to hit, fan favorite Lorenzo Cain hit a single to put runners on the corners with one out. Then the tides changed with an RBI single from Jace Peterson to score Hunter Renfroe and advance Lorenzo Cain to second base. Milwaukee had now scored their first run with an opportunity to cash out and additional runs. Being down 1-3 is still a lot in the low scoring sport of baseball. Kolten Wong lined out to the shortstop and possessed the second out of the inning. Philadelphia was one out away from getting out of the inning and stopping the wildfire of hits and runs. Then, Willy Adames hit an RBI single to left field, which scored Lorenzo Cain and advanced Jace Peterson to second base. Now Milwaukee had the tying run on second base with Christian Yelich up at the plate. While Yelich has struggled in the last two years, it’s still not smart to give him a pitch to hit. Well, Zack Wheeler had other plans and threw a slider down the plate that allowed Yelich to hit an RBI single which tied up the ballgame. With Willy Adames on third base, he was 90 feet away from gaining the lead over the Philadelphia Phillies. All of the sudden, both runners from first and third steal the advancing bases and Philadelphia couldn’t get that last out. Adames has just scored from third base on a stolen base attempt and took the lead for the Milwaukee Brewers. Eventually, Andrew McCutchen struck out and the Milwaukee Brewers had finally taken the lead, 4-3. 

• Now this game had completely changed due to an incredible fifth inning, and Milwaukee had to maintain the lead and add any additional runs, if possible. The very next inning, the man who started the fifth inning rally hit a blasting home run to right field that traveled over 400 feet. This was a solo home run from Hunter Renfroe that gave the Milwaukee Brewers a 5-3 lead over Philadelphia. This moment gave the Milwaukee Brewers some cushion and allowed them to really take control of this ballgame. It was only right that the man who started the miraculous fifth inning, was able to add the final touch to a terrific offensive performance. The next half inning, Adrian Houser finished the sixth inning strong and helped Milwaukee maintain that lead. Thanks to Trevor Gott, Devin Williams, and Josh Hader, the Milwaukee Brewers were able to maintain the lead necessary to win the ballgame. These three relief pitchers combined for 3.0 IP, innings pitched, while striking out four hitters and only allowing two combined hits. This was a successful day for every pitcher as Adrian Houser was able to comeback after a slow start to help eventually climb back into the ballgame while every relief pitcher kept the lead in tack throughout the last three innings.

Saturday’s game was very entertaining and provided a rollercoaster of emotions for fans watching this ballgame. Whether it was being upset by the fact that Milwaukee was allowing many runs early on, or the fact that Milwaukee came back from all odds and won the ballgame, it set forth an incredible game to watch. Thus far, this game has been one of my personal favorite games and would recommend watching highlights of the game to understand the significance of these moments. This matchup possessed poor starting pitching for both pitchers, an incredible offensive inning, and a dominant close out to end and win the ballgame.