The Milwaukee Brewers are one win away from their first trip to the National League Championship Series since 2018. Behind historic power from Andrew Vaughn and Jackson Chourio, and a lights-out bullpen, the Brewers defeated the Chicago Cubs 7-3 on Monday night at American Family Field to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the National League Division Series.
Vaughn and Chourio each launched three-run homers — the first two three-run shots in Brewers postseason history — while William Contreras added a solo blast to power Milwaukee’s offense. The Brewers now head to Wrigley Field with a 2-0 series advantage in the best-of-five matchup. History is on their side: teams taking a 2-0 lead in such series have gone on to win 80 of 90 times, including 54 sweeps.
“Everything’s clicking right now,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said after the win. “The guys are playing loose, the bullpen’s been lights-out, and we’re finding big hits when we need them.”
It was a wild start in Milwaukee as both teams traded three-run homers in the first inning — something that had never happened before in postseason history.
Chicago struck first when Seiya Suzuki crushed a 440-foot blast to left-center off opener Aaron Ashby, giving the Cubs a 3-0 lead. Ashby, who appeared out of the bullpen in 42 of his 43 regular-season games, was making a rare start.
But the Brewers answered immediately. After Contreras and Christian Yelich delivered two-out singles, Vaughn tied the game with a towering drive over the left-field wall. According to MLB, it marked the first time in franchise postseason history that Milwaukee hit a three-run homer — and they weren’t done yet.
Contreras broke a 3-all tie in the third inning with a 411-foot solo shot to left field off Cubs starter Shota Imanaga, who struggled to keep the ball in the park. Twice in the first three innings, Imanaga retired the first two batters before running into two-out trouble that ended with a homer. He has now allowed multiple home runs in six of his last eight appearances.
Milwaukee extended its lead in the fourth when Chourio crushed a 419-foot three-run homer off Daniel Palencia, marking the second three-run shot of the night for the Brewers — and the second in franchise postseason history, just three innings apart.
Chourio, back in the leadoff spot after leaving Game 1 with right hamstring tightness, showed no signs of discomfort. He went 3-for-3 with three RBIs in the series opener before his early exit and added another huge swing in Game 2.
After Ashby’s brief outing, the Milwaukee bullpen completely shut down the Cubs’ offense. Six relievers combined for 7 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit.
The standout was rookie fireballer Jacob Misiorowski, who entered in the third and dominated for three innings. He struck out five and earned the win while lighting up the radar gun — hitting 100 mph or more on 31 of his 57 pitches. Each of his first eight offerings reached at least 102.6 mph, and he topped out at a blistering 104.3 mph.
“Misiorowski was unbelievable,” said Contreras. “You could feel the energy in the crowd every time he threw triple digits. That kind of stuff changes a game.”
The series now shifts to Wrigley Field in Chicago for Game 3 on Wednesday, where the Cubs will try to stay alive and the Brewers will look to punch their ticket to the NLCS.
Milwaukee is seeking its first postseason series win since 2018, when it advanced to Game 7 of the NLCS.
If the Brewers’ power and bullpen keep performing like this, that drought might be ending soon.
