Somewhere, a baseball-curious grandpa is screaming at his television while holding a scorecard in one hand and a remote in the other. The Milwaukee Brewers, facing what could've been a back-breaking innings in Game 1 of the NLCS, managed to escape a jam with the bases loaded and one out.
Dodgers slugger Max Muncy hit a deep fly ball to center field which was technically not caught by Sal Frelick. However, Frelick did keep a potential grand slam in the ballpark and got the ball back into the infield quickly.
One of the most remarkable double plays you will EVER see 🤯#NLCS pic.twitter.com/xokoLsH7Jj
— MLB (@MLB) October 14, 2025
Frelick threw the ball to shortstop Joey Ortiz, who relayed it to catcher William Contreras. The Brewers catcher technically made two outs on his lonesome, as he tagged out Teoscar Hernandez at home plate and then ran to third base to force Will Smith out at third base. None of this makes sense after one viewing of said play, but I can assure you the umpires got this one right. It's brutal luck for the Dodgers, which were just a few inches away from taking a 4-0 lead off the bat of Muncy.
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How to score the Brewers inning-ending double play
In this case, the scorecard won't tell the full story. Muncy technically flew into a double play thanks to an incredible play by Frelick to keep the ball in the park. Ortiz factored in thanks to an impressive relay throw to Contreras, who did this rest. The play officially grades out as an 8-6-2 double play, which I feel comfortable saying has never happened in the history of postseason baseball. If you don't believe me, just ask baseball historian Jayson Stark of The Athletic.
In answer to your questions ...
— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) October 14, 2025
No, I've never seen that before.
No, it didn't happen because I will Strange But True madness to happen.
Yes, we just saw a "grounded into double play" on a ball that looked like a possible slam over the CF wall.
And the catcher recorded both… https://t.co/HJ1shSMhYk
It's easy to blame Hernandez for this double play, as he ran back to third base in an attempt to tag the base and score on a sacrifice fly. However, how was he supposed to know if Frelick caught the ball or not in live action?
Brewers defensive approach helped them in Game 1
While it's easy to call this play a fluke – I sure would, given it's a putout we've rarely seen in baseball history – the Brewers are among the smartest defensive teams in baseball. Milwaukee ranked in the top-third in fewest errors per game and more defensive metrics that measure said efficiency. This is what the Brewers are, and they tend to beat better teams within the margins.
As manager Pat Murphy said before the series, these Dodgers players and fans likely can't name most the players on the Brewers postgame roster. However, this Milwaukee team finished the regular season with the best record in baseball by a wide margin for a reason.
"I'm sure that most Dodger players can't name eight guys on our roster. No offense to them, they shouldn't have to know the names, but these are some guys that hopefully they know their names by the time it's over. You never know," Murphy said.
The trio of Frelick, Ortiz and Contreras ought to be known now, both by Dodgers fans and the rest of baseball.