The One Decision That Changed NLCS Game 3 for the Brewers

The Brewers were in a tough position in the sixth inning of Game 3 of the National League Championship Series. Abner Uribe, who had been nails in his first six postseason appearances, struggled to throw strikes. The Dodgers capitalized with a two-run double to take a 2-1 lead.

That's when Pat Murphy pulled his struggling right-hander and brought in left-hander DL Hall. The Dodgers announced Josue DePaula as a pinch-hitter for Andy Pages, leading to Murphy summoning the left-hander out of the bullpen.

Hall escaped the inning with a flourish, striking out Kiké Hernández and Tommy Edman to prevent further damage. Those two strikeouts alone were worth +12.9% in win probability added, based on the Statcast Game Feed. It also created the energy the Brewers needed to reclaim the lead in the following half-inning.

DL Hall Decision Was Turning Point in Brewers NLCS Game 3 Win

That proved to be a huge moment in the game. The Brewers offense immediately picked up Hall and Uribe with two of the greatest at-bats in postseason history. Jake Bauers and Garrett Mitchell slugged back-to-back homers off Dodgers starter Blake Snell, who was dealing through six innings.

The two home runs reclaimed the lead for the Brewers. Now they led 4-2 and had completely sucked the life out of the Dodgers and their fan base. The Dodgers had led four times in the series, but that inning marked the third consecutive time the Brewers erased that lead in the following half-inning.

Even with the lead, Murphy continued to send out Hall. The left-hander turned in his best performance as a Brewer, keeping Los Angeles off the scoreboard for 2.1 innings. His only blemish was a rocket single by Shohei Ohtani, which ended his night.

Thanks to his performance, the Brewers picked up a huge Game 3 win over the Dodgers. The left-hander is now the Brewers all-time postseason wins leader, picking up his third win of this postseason.

Hall's career has been up and down in Milwaukee. He, along with infielder Joey Ortiz, were the two players the Brewers got in the Corbin Burnes trade before the 2024 season. Both players came up huge in Game 3.

Now the Brewers have a chance to finish off the Dodgers. With a Game 3 win, they have a strong chance of closing out the NLCS in Los Angeles. It would serve as the ultimate redemption for Milwaukee, considering they were easily swept in last year's NLCS. Doing it to the Dodgers a year later would serve as one of the most impressive one-year turnarounds in postseason history.