Brewers’ Incredible Double Play Denies Dodgers in 2025 Playoffs

Game 1 of the 2025 National League Championship Series gave us a moment nobody saw coming. It wasn’t a monster home run or a pitcher’s clinic—it was a defensive sequence by the Milwaukee Brewers that people will talk about for ages.

The Los Angeles Dodgers had a golden chance in the fourth inning. Bases loaded, just one out, and the crowd could feel the tension.

The High-Stakes Setting

Dodgers slugger Max Muncy stepped up. You could almost hear fans holding their breath, waiting for a big swing that might blow this game open.

Max Muncy’s Deep Drive

Muncy jumped on a fastball and launched it deep toward the center field wall. Off the bat, it looked like trouble—maybe even a game-changer.

But Sal Frelick, the Brewers’ center fielder, had other ideas.

Frelick’s Dazzling Recovery

Frelick sprinted back, covering a ton of ground. He timed his leap and touched the ball just before it hit the wall.

As he landed, he somehow managed to grab the ball on the ricochet. Since he didn’t catch it in the air, Muncy wasn’t automatically out.

The Relay Throw Execution

Frelick didn’t waste a second. He fired the ball to Joey Ortiz in the infield.

Ortiz, cool as you like, rifled a throw to catcher William Contreras at home. Contreras tagged out Teoscar Hernández for the second out. That relay was about as sharp as it gets—fast, on target, and right when it mattered.

The Third Out—Born from Confusion

Amid the chaos, Dodgers baserunner Will Smith thought Frelick had made a routine catch. Smith started heading back to second base.

Contreras spotted what was happening and sprinted to third, tagging Smith before he could make it back. In just a few wild seconds, the Dodgers went from a huge scoring chance to all three outs and nobody crossing the plate.

Broadcast and Fan Reactions

TV cameras couldn’t keep up at first. Broadcasters scrambled to piece together what just happened as fans everywhere stared in disbelief.

What looked like a sure-fire rally for L.A. had turned into a defensive highlight for the ages.

Why This Play Was Historic

Plays like this almost never happen, especially in the playoffs when every single pitch matters so much.

• Unusual sequence—A near-catch, then a double throw, then a base-running mistake? That’s wild even for October.
• Impact in a playoff game—The moment felt even bigger because of the stakes, even though the Dodgers took the win in the end.
• Team coordination—Every Brewer involved nailed their role under serious pressure.

Lessons for Players and Coaches

This moment says a lot about what coaches always talk about in October:

• Keep playing until the play is really over. Don’t assume anything.
• Talk to your teammates—communication makes those wild defensive plays possible.
• If you know what’s happening, you can turn a mess into a momentum swing.

The Bigger Picture

The Dodgers took Game 1, but the Brewers made a statement. They’re not about to get outworked or outsmarted, not by a long shot.

Sal Frelick’s play? That’s one for the ages. The way he moved—speed, pure agility, and that sharp awareness—he turned what looked like easy runs into nothing at all.

As the NLCS rolls on, maybe this moment won’t show up in the standings. Still, it’s already a classic among baseball fans.

Defense usually sits in the shadow of all those big home runs, especially these days. But sometimes, it just takes over and steals the show.

 
Here is the source article for this story: MLB playoffs 2025: Brewers rob Dodgers of sure runs with one of the wildest double plays in baseball history