NL Wildcard Wraps Up Thursday with Winner-Take-All Finish

The National League wild-card round has been all you can ask for if you’re a baseball fan: high-stakes moments, clutch hitting and pitching, and terrific defense. Entering Wednesday, the New York Mets and the San Diego Padres had both decisively won their games. So how did the Milwaukee Brewers and the Atlanta Braves respond with their backs against the wall?

Slam Diego was in Full Fashion Last Night

The Atlanta Braves came into Wednesday’s game with their season on the line, but their ace, Max Fried, was on the mound trying to slow down a red-hot San Diego Padres lineup. While filled with drama, the first inning went just how Atlanta wanted it to go. A sac fly by Marcell Ozuna was able to drive outfielder Michael Harris II in the top of the inning, and in the bottom of the first, Max Fried was able to get out of a bases-loaded jam and deny the Padres from scoring.

But from that moment on, it was all San Diego.

Kyle Higashioka tied the game in the next inning with a solo home run. This would be the start of a five-run second inning that saw a two-run double by Manny Machado and a two-run triple by rookie superstar Jackson Merill. To make matters worse, the Padres did all this with two outs in the inning, showing that there is never a ‘feel safe’ moment against this lineup.

The Braves made things interesting thanks to a fifth-inning home run by Jorge Soler and a two-run homer by Michael Harris II in the eighth. But San Diego’s flamethrowing closer Robert Suarez shut things down in the ninth inning, going 1-2-3 to secure the win 5-4 and clinch the series. The Padres will move on to the National League Division Series to take on the L.A. Dodgers.

The Brew Crew Stays Alive

The Milwaukee Brewers were looking to avoid back-to-back years of postseason wild card sweeps when they entered Wednesday’s matchup against the New York Mets.

The Mets struck first with one in the first inning off a Brandon Nimmo RBI single. In the second, the Mets capitalized on a crucial fielding error by Brewers starting pitcher Frankie Montas, allowing the speedy Starling Marte to reach base and for catcher Francisco Alvarez to drive him in. They had four hits and two more runs that scored before the Brewers could get out of the inning.

Credit to the Brewers bullpen for locking the game down after a shaky start from Montas. As a whole, the bullpen surrendered just two hits and gave up zero runs.

The Brewers offense had been fine the night before in game one and had been able to muster across two runs through five innings including a home run by 20-year-old Jackson Chourio. But the Brewers chances of keeping their season alive looked bleak.

With the season on the line and trailing heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, the bats came alive. A leadoff homerun by Jackson Chourio tied the game. And with two outs and runner on, of all things it was a pinch hit two-run homerun by Garrett Mitchell that sent the crowd into a frenzy.

After closing pitcher Devin Williams locked it down in the ninth, the Brewers had successfully forced a winner-take-all game three by defeating the Mets 5-3.

Winner Take All

SEE YOU TOMORROW NIGHT ❕

→ https://t.co/T8gpZJmtFS pic.twitter.com/DyvkwYhIYt

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) October 3, 2024

The Brewers and Mets will face off Thursday in a win or go home game three, with a date in the NLDS on the line against the Philadelphia Phillies.