THE APEX TIMES
Jake Bauers’ 11th-pitch HR puts Brewers ahead in NLCS Game 3, with Garrett Mitchell following
Bauers battled Dodgers starter Blake Snell deep in the seventh, delivering a go-ahead two-run homer before Garrett Mitchell added another as Los Angeles’ momentum flipped.
Jake Bauers answered Los Angeles’ punch with one swing in the NLCS Game 3, connecting for a go-ahead, two-run home run off Dodgers starter Blake Snell during a lengthy seventh-inning at-bat.
The moment came after the Dodgers had rallied in the bottom of the sixth to take a 2-1 lead heading to the seventh, then watched that lead wobble quickly. Andrew Vaughn opened the Brewers’ half with a walk, ending Snell’s streak of 14 consecutive batters retired.
Bauers stayed in the count through multiple foul balls and pitch changes, working to a final battle where Snell went to his 11th offering. On that pitch, Bauers drove a fastball for his first postseason home run of this run, sending it to right field for a Statcast-projected 412 feet.
Garrett Mitchell immediately followed with another home run to knock Snell out of the game, and the Brewers turned the inning into a burst of postseason power. The release also notes that the back-to-back postseason home run sequence was the third such franchise occurrence, with Bauers and Sal Frelick cited as the most recent pair to do it earlier in the postseason.
The Brewers’ push included a reminder of how tight the contest had been. The same player, Bauers, previously helped swing NLCS Game 2 with a 12-pitch walk, setting the stage for a repeat of the kind of at-bat that can change a playoff inning.
Why It Matters
- A go-ahead NLCS swing in the seventh reinforces how individual at-bats, not just innings overall, can decide high-leverage postseason moments.
- Mitchell’s immediate follow-through turned Bauers’ single moment into a multi-run inning, forcing quicker changes from the opposing staff.
- Snell being chased after the Brewers’ power surge illustrates the Dodgers’ playoff challenge of containing momentum once a lineup gets set.
- The back-to-back postseason homer detail places the Brewers’ performance in a broader franchise postseason pattern, emphasizing that the team has done this at the biggest moments before.
Sources
Key Facts
- Jake Bauers hit a go-ahead, two-run home run off Dodgers starter Blake Snell in the seventh inning of NLCS Game 3.
- The home run came on the 11th pitch of Bauers’ at-bat after he worked through a series of fouls and count battles.
- Snell’s streak of retiring 14 straight batters ended when Andrew Vaughn opened the inning with a walk.
- Garrett Mitchell followed Bauers’ homer with another home run, and the Brewers took advantage of the swing in momentum.
- Bauers’ homer was Statcast-projected at 412 feet to right field.
- The Brewers’ sequence marked the third time in franchise history they hit back-to-back home runs in the postseason.