How the Brewers Won a Crazy Last-Minute Baseball Game

The Big Moment

On Sunday in Milwaukee, something super exciting happened at the very end of a baseball game.

• The Milwaukee Brewers played the Miami Marlins.
• The Brewers won 3-1.
• William Contreras hit a three-run homer (a big hit that scores 3 points) in the bottom of the ninth inning.
• He hit it off Pete Fairbanks, who was the Marlins’ closer (the person who tries to finish and win the game for their team).

Important Point: Fairbanks was trying to keep a 1-run lead but failed. This was his third blown save (a lost chance to win) and made the Marlins lose 6 games in a row — their worst losing streak this year.

How the Winning Play Happened

Here is what happened in the last part of the ninth inning, step by step:

1. Jackson Chourio got a single (a basic hit).
2. Brice Turang walked (got to first base without hitting because the pitcher threw too many bad pitches).
3. With one out, Contreras (who came in to hit for Jake Bauers in the seventh) swung at a 1-2 pitch.
4. He hit his 10th home run of the season and his second career walk-off homer (a homer that instantly wins the game).

The Marlins’ Strong Start

Before the wild ending, the Marlins looked really good.

• Eury Pérez was the Marlins’ starting pitcher. He allowed only one hit in six scoreless innings (he didn’t let the Brewers score).
• Esteury Ruiz hit a homer in the third inning for the Brewers’ only early run.
• Pérez, Cade Gibson, and Michael Peterson kept the lead until the ninth.

Pérez’s Tricky Sixth Inning

Pérez threw really fast and tricky balls (four-seam fastballs, sinkers, sliders, changeups).

• In the sixth, he walked Christian Yelich, hit Chourio, and made a bad throw (error).
• He still got 9 strikeouts (a new season tie-high), including one against Turang with a 100.8-mph fastball.
• Andrew Vaughn then hit into a double play (two outs on one hit) on a 100.6-mph sinker.
• Vaughn had the Brewers’ only hit earlier, in the fourth, off a 103-mph pitch.

Other Fun Notes

• Heriberto Hernández got two hits and reached base in 12 straight games (the most on the Marlins).
• Otto Lopez (Marlins shortstop) sat out with a sore right ring finger.
• The Marlins called up Graham Pauley from the minor leagues and sent Rece Hinds down.

Up Next

More baseball is coming!

• The Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski (10-4, 1.62 ERA*) will face old Brewer Freddy Peralta (5-8, 4.66 ERA) vs the New York Mets on Monday.
• The Marlins’ Jason Junk (4-5, 4.57) plays in Houston Monday; Ronel Blanco returns for his first game of the year.

ERA means "Earned Run Average" — a smaller number means the pitcher lets fewer runs happen.

Summary

The Brewers beat the Marlins 3-1 after Contreras hit a ninth-inning homer off Fairbanks. The Marlins had a great start from Pérez but lost their sixth game in a row. Next up: new series for both teams!

FAQ

What is a walk-off homer?
It is a home run that ends the game immediately and wins it for the team that was batting.

Why was Fairbanks’ save "blown"?
Because he was supposed to finish the game with a win but gave up the homer that let the other team win instead.

What does "recalled from Triple-A" mean?
It means a player was brought up from the minor leagues (a lower level) to play in the main big-league team.

What is an ERA in baseball?
It stands for Earned Run Average, showing how many runs a pitcher normally allows; lower is better.