MILWAUKEE — Ending their recent run of playoff frustration earned the Milwaukee Brewers a new nickname from their manager.
Pat Murphy has referred to his team as the "Average Joes," a nod to their small-market status and lack of big names. But after the Brewers beat the rival Chicago Cubs 3-1 in the decisive fifth game of their NL Division Series on Saturday night, Murphy decided it was time for an upgrade.
“You can call them the average Joes,” Murphy said, “but I say they’re the above-average Joes.”
The Brewers relied on contributions from just about all of them to get past the Cubs.
Andrew Vaughn hit a tiebreaking homer in the fourth inning and William Contreras and Brice Turang also went deep. Trevor Megill, Jacob Misiorowski, Aaron Ashby, Chad Patrick and Abner Uribe combined on a four-hitter, with Uribe getting six outs for the first multi-inning save of his career.
“It takes every single one of these guys in the locker room, and they've done it,” Turang said. “We've got to keep going.”
The Brewers, making their seventh playoff appearance in eight years, earned their first postseason series win since sweeping Colorado in a 2018 NLDS. Milwaukee was on the verge of its second World Series berth that year before losing Game 7 of the National League Championship Series at home to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Now, the Brewers get another NLCS matchup with the defending World Series champion Dodgers, who beat the Philadelphia Phillies in four games in the other NL Division Series. Game 1 is Monday at Milwaukee as the Brewers chase their first pennant since 1982 — back when they played in the American League.
After losing slugging shortstop Willy Adames in free agency and trading away All-Star closer Devin Williams last winter, the scrappy Brewers finished the regular season with the best record in the majors at 97-65.
They've reached the NLCS nine months after the death of Bob Uecker, who broadcast Brewers games for 54 seasons and is probably more synonymous with the franchise than any player.
As the Brewers posed for a postgame picture on the field, they had a banner in front of them with Uecker's signature. The sellout crowd roared before the game when the scoreboard video showed a fan holding a sign with the message: “Do It For Bob Uecker.”
“It was important to these guys — because it's the rival — to finish the job,” Murphy said. “And they know Ueck is smiling.”
The victory was particularly sweet for Milwaukee fans because it came against the club's biggest rival and knocked Cubs manager Craig Counsell out of the postseason.
Counsell grew up in the Milwaukee area, played for the Brewers and became the winningest manager in team history until he left for Chicago.
In the two seasons since Counsell's departure, Brewers fans have booed every mention of his name whenever the Cubs have visited American Family Field. They did it again Saturday, though the sellout crowd appeared to include more Cubs backers than in Milwaukee's Game 1 and Game 2 home victories.
The Cubs were attempting to become the 11th team to erase a 2-0 deficit and win a best-of-five playoff series, a feat last accomplished by the New York Yankees against Cleveland in their 2017 ALDS.
“I’m disappointed. I’m sad," Counsell said. “I think this team did a lot to honor the Chicago Cub uniform. In the big picture, that’s how I feel.”
Homers produced all the runs in this winner-take-all game, and each of Milwaukee’s came with two outs.
Contreras hit a 389-foot shot to left-center off Drew Pomeranz in the first inning. Vaughn sent a 3-2 pitch from Colin Rea over the left-field wall to break a 1-all tie, and Turang provided some insurance with a 416-foot drive to center off Andrew Kittredge in the seventh.
“We fight back. That’s our mentality,” Vaughn said. “We’re going to punch someone else. We’re going to throw it right back.”
Chicago’s Seiya Suzuki greeted Misiorowski by sending a 101.4 mph fastball into the Cubs bullpen leading off the second, but that was the only run the rookie right-hander allowed in four innings as he earned his second win of the series.
“It’s been crazy," the 23-year-old Misiorowski said. “It’s been a whirlwind and it’s been fun.”
The Brewers brought in Misiorowski after Megill retired the side in order in the first. The Cubs had totaled 11 first-inning runs in the first four games of the series without ever going scoreless in the opening frame.
After Suzuki's homer, they didn't score again Saturday.
Chicago's best threat came when it put two on with nobody out in the sixth against Ashby, who had thrown 32 pitches two nights earlier in Milwaukee’s Game 4 loss. Michael Busch hit a leadoff single before Ashby grazed Nico Hoerner with a pitch.
Ashby got Kyle Tucker to strike out swinging at a 3-2 pitch for the first out. Patrick then came out of the bullpen and retired Suzuki on a fly to left before Ian Happ struck out looking.
“You set a goal to win the World Series every year,” Busch said. “You come up short, so it stings no matter what.”
The Brewers exorcised some demons to finish off the series.
They entered the ninth inning with a two-run lead, just as they did in the decisive game of last year's NL Wild Card Series against the New York Mets. Milwaukee lost that game when Williams allowed four runs in the final inning, including a three-run homer by Pete Alonso.
This time, the Brewers had no reason to worry as Uribe retired the side in order.
“We talked about it before the game," Murphy said. "It absolutely entered my mind. We talked about it at the end of last season. We sat down in the room. We were all shell-shocked. And I said, ‘Guys, I don’t know what to tell you. Somehow this is going to help us.’ And sure enough, it was prophetic.”
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