Three outs away, then everything changed
Through most of the 2026 Major League Baseball postseason, Milwaukee had looked untouchable. The Brewers swept past the San Diego Padres, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Tampa Bay Rays, winning eight consecutive games. They had taken 100 games in the regular season, and their opponent in the World Series had won 98. Nearly every decision Pat Murphy made appeared to land perfectly, from starting light-hitting infielder David Hamilton to positioning Sal Frelick for a crucial catch.[S1]
The bullpen had been the backbone of that run. Aaron Ashby opened the postseason with 18 scoreless innings, a new record, and Robert Gasser surrendered only one run across 15 innings despite rarely missing bats. In Game 4 of the World Series, Hamilton, who had hit just four home runs all year, tied the score at two, and rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt put Milwaukee ahead in the top of the 12th. Three outs separated the franchise from its first championship.[S1]
The bottom of the 12th undid all of it. Junior Caminero reached base on an error, Liam Hicks singled to move him to third, and Jonny DeLuca drove him in with a single to center. Chandler Simpson then singled to fill the bases, and Ben Williamson ended the game with a ground ball to the right side that bounded over first base and into the outfield. Two runs scored, and Milwaukee's celebration vanished.[S1]
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Why Drohan, and not the ace
Antonio Senzatela began the inning for Milwaukee and was replaced by Shane Drohan, a reliever who had not appeared since Oct. 15, when he allowed a run to the Dodgers in the NLCS. Drohan had pitched in only one competitive game over the previous month. Murphy's high-leverage arms were largely spent: Ashby had worked more than two innings, Trevor Megill recorded one out, and DL Hall, Abner Uribe and JoJo Romero had all been used.[S1]
One alternative remained for the final three outs against the heart of Tampa Bay's order: Jacob Misiorowski, the likely National League Cy Young Award winner, who was lined up to start Game 5 on Wednesday. After the loss, Murphy explained that he did not want to use Misiorowski in a one-run extra-inning game while his club held a 3-0 series lead, and he said the Brewers would now need everyone available for Game 5.[S1][S2]
The counterargument is straightforward. Winning Game 4 would have removed any need for a Game 5, and a rested Misiorowski would have been available to record three outs with a title on the line. Using him would have pushed him outside his usual routine, but the risk Murphy accepted instead produced precisely the outcome he was trying to avoid. Milwaukee is still heavily favored, particularly with Misiorowski on the mound for Game 5, yet its best relievers are now taxed, and Ashby's velocity dipped late in his outing.[S1]
