Brewers win NLCS Game 1 2-1 as Turang hits rare opposite-field homer

Milwaukee took Game 1 of the National League Championship Series from the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 2-1 victory, scoring more runs than they had in any game of last year’s NLCS. The decisive run came in the fourth inning when second baseman Brice Turang hit a solo home run off a Tarik Skubal sinker, tying the game. The blast marked only the third instance in the Statcast era of a left-handed pitcher’s inside-corner sinker traveling over 95 mph for an opposite-field home run.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the team’s strategy against starter Jacob Misiorowski was to limit his innings, noting, "I thought we did a great job versus Misiorowski to get him out when we did, to get the pitch count up. I think the approach, how we went about it, was fantastic." Misiorowski was removed after throwing 94 pitches over 4 1/3 innings, with the bullpen handling the remainder of the game.

In a separate series, Cleveland Guardians pitcher Foster Griffin is scheduled to start Game 1 of the American League Championship Series against the Tampa Bay Rays after providing 2 2/3 innings of relief in Game 3 of the ALCS.