San Diego Padres Denied as Mitchell Robs Machado, Brewers Clinch NLDS

Garrett Mitchell made a spectacular catch over the center-field wall to rob Manny Machado of a game-tying home run, preserving the Brewers' 3-1 win over the Padres and sending Milwaukee to the NLCS for a second straight year.

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Manny Machado blew a bubble and watched it. The fans in the front row of the Petco Park bleachers reached out to snag it. Garrett Mitchell made one of the greatest defensive plays in Milwaukee Brewers franchise history.

With the Brewers leading 3-1 and five outs from clinching the National League Division Series, Machado stepped to the plate as the tying run in the bottom of the eighth inning. He barreled a sinker from Abner Uribe, sending it 406 feet to right-center field right in the spot of the ballpark where the marine layer is at its cruelest to baseballs for what looked to be a game-tying home run.

Mitchell reached back over the fence and plucked the ball out of the sea of fans' hands for the second out. Machado was visibly upset after the play, grabbing his helmet off his head in frustration.

For as deep as the ball was hit, even if Mitchell had not caught it, it would have been a home run in 19 ballparks not including Petco Park. Machado knew exactly what this felt like. Nine years ago, Adam Jones robbed him in one of the World Baseball Classic's most memorable moments, in a nearly identical spot.

How the Brewers Clinched

The Brewers won the way they won games all year long, getting contributions from everywhere on the roster. Left-hander Robert Gasser, the onetime Padres prospect traded to Milwaukee in the Josh Hader deal in 2022, rose to the moment with four effective innings when it mattered most.

The runs came mostly from Mitchell, who broke free from a 2-for-11 start to the series with an RBI single in the third inning and a leadoff triple in the fifth that led to the go-ahead run. Jackson Chourio lined a one-out single through a drawn-in infield for the 17th postseason RBI of his young career, passing Ryan Braun for the franchise record and matching Hall of Famer Andruw Jones for the most postseason RBIs in Major League history for a player shy of his 23rd birthday .

By the time Sal Frelick's sixth-inning sacrifice fly made it 3-1, the game belonged to the Brewers' bullpen. Aaron Ashby delivered three hitless innings, Abner Uribe got through the eighth despite Machado's near-miss, and Trevor Megill logged his second save in the series.

The win snapped a 12-game postseason road losing streak for the Brewers, tying the longest in MLB history. The last time they had won on the road in the playoffs was Game 3 of the 2018 NLCS against a Dodgers team that was waiting for them again.

A Painful Exit for the Padres

For San Diego, the loss was agonizing. The Padres and Brewers staged an epic of a National League Division Series, decided by inches. A potential go-ahead home run off a cable on the roof in Milwaukee in Game 1. A Jackson Chourio line drive just beyond the outstretched glove of Jake Cronenworth in Game 2. And the cruelest of all Machado's near-homer taken away at the fence.

"They did what they could," the Padres' season-ending report read. "There was only so much they could do with an offense that went cold."

The Padres' wait for a first World Series title continues. They have reached the postseason in three straight years and five of seven, but this era still lacks its crowning achievement.

What's Next

For the second straight year, the Brewers will play for the pennant. And for the second straight year, the Dodgers are standing in the way. Milwaukee earned home-field advantage through the World Series after winning a franchise-record 103 games.

Game 1 of the NLCS is Sunday, October 11, at American Family Field.

Here is the question The Silicon Review raises. Garrett Mitchell made the catch of his life to rob Manny Machado of a game-tying home run, sending the Brewers to the NLCS for the second straight year. When a season comes down to a few feet of grass and a center fielder's outstretched glove, does the team that advances deserve credit for making the play or does the team that loses deserve pity for the inches that went the other way?

FAQ:

Q: What did Garrett Mitchell do in the Brewers vs Padres NLDS?
A: Mitchell robbed Manny Machado of a game-tying home run with a catch over the center-field wall in the eighth inning of Game 4, preserving the Brewers' 3-1 lead.

Q: Did the Brewers clinch the NLDS?
A: Yes, the Brewers beat the Padres 3-1 in Game 4 to win the NLDS and advance to the NLCS.

Q: Who will the Brewers play in the NLCS?
A: The Brewers will face the Los Angeles Dodgers in a rematch of last year's NLCS.

Q: How far did Manny Machado's ball travel?
A: Machado's ball traveled 406 feet, which would have been a home run in 19 other ballparks but not at Petco Park.

Q: When does the NLCS start?
A: Game 1 of the NLCS is Sunday, October 11, at American Family Field in Milwaukee.