Garrett Mitchell's wall catch seals Brewers' 3-1 win over Padres and NLCS rematch with Dodgers

The Milwaukee Brewers are back in the National League Championship Series. They beat the San Diego Padres 3-1 in Game 4 at Petco Park on Wednesday 7 October (US time) to win the Division Series three games to one. Centre fielder Garrett Mitchell drove in Milwaukee's first run, tripled ahead of the go-ahead run and then took a potential game-tying home run away from Manny Machado in the eighth inning. The Brewers now face the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team that swept them in last year's NLCS.

How Game 4 unfolded

Mitchell opened the scoring with an RBI single in the third inning. Fernando Tatis Jr. answered in the bottom half with a solo home run off Brewers starter Robert Gasser. Mitchell then led off the fifth with a triple, which stayed fair by inches, and Jackson Chourio singled him home to put Milwaukee back in front. The Brewers added a third run to make it 3-1.

Gasser pitched four innings. After that, Milwaukee's bullpen threw five scoreless innings, three of them from left-hander Aaron Ashby. San Diego's best chance came in the eighth inning. Tatis drew a leadoff walk and Machado drove a ball to deep centre at 106.7 mph. Mitchell timed his jump, reached above the top of the wall with both hands and caught it. Machado said afterwards he "should have hit it harder."

The Padres' bullpen kept the game close. Mason Miller pitched a scoreless seventh and Joe Musgrove added two scoreless innings, but the offence managed only three hits all night.

A tight series and a streak broken

All four games were close, and the series was decided by a total of five runs. Milwaukee won Game 1 3-2 and Game 2 4-3, the second on a walk-off by Jackson Chourio. San Diego took Game 3 4-3. The Game 4 win also ended Milwaukee's run of 12 straight postseason road defeats, which went back to 2018.

For San Diego, the exit ends a season in which they were three games under .500 in late July before finishing strongly. The Padres have reached the playoffs in three straight seasons but are still waiting for their first World Series title.

NLCS: Brewers vs Dodgers

Milwaukee won a franchise-record 103 games this season, the best record in baseball, so they have home-field advantage in the NLCS. They also won the regular-season series against Los Angeles 4-3. The Dodgers reached the NLCS by beating the Atlanta Braves 3-1, and they have won all three previous postseason meetings with Milwaukee (2018, 2020 and 2025).

Both teams get three days off before Game 1. Malaysia is 12 hours ahead of US Eastern time, so the opening games fall on Malaysian mornings:

• Game 1: Sunday 11 October, 8pm ET in Milwaukee (Monday 12 October, 8am Malaysia time)
• Game 2: Monday 12 October, 5pm ET in Milwaukee (Tuesday 13 October, 5am Malaysia time)
• Games 3 and 4: 14 and 15 October in Los Angeles

The Brewers are expected to open with Jacob Misiorowski. They are four wins away from their first World Series appearance since 1982.

Elsewhere in the bracket

The Tampa Bay Rays are waiting in the ALCS after sweeping the New York Yankees. They will face the winner of the Chicago White Sox v Cleveland Guardians Division Series, which Chicago led 2-1 going into Game 4 at Rate Field. The ALCS starts on Monday 12 October in Tampa Bay.

Key takeaways

• The Brewers beat the Padres 3-1 in Game 4 to win the NLDS 3-1.
• Garrett Mitchell had an RBI single and a triple, and he robbed Manny Machado of a likely tying home run in the eighth.
• Milwaukee's bullpen threw five scoreless innings after Robert Gasser's four.
• The NLCS against the Dodgers starts in Milwaukee on 11 October (12 October, 8am Malaysia time).

FAQ

What was the score of Brewers vs Padres NLDS Game 4? The Brewers won 3-1 at Petco Park to take the series three games to one.

Who do the Brewers play in the 2026 NLCS? They face the Los Angeles Dodgers, who swept them in the 2025 NLCS.

What time is NLCS Game 1 in Malaysia? Game 1 starts at 8pm ET on Sunday 11 October, which is 8am on Monday 12 October in Malaysia.

Sources: Sports Illustrated, MLB.com, Fox11, CBS Sports