MILWAUKEE — William Contreras trotted, not hustled, and that was exactly the point as the Milwaukee Brewers opened the postseason with a statement. The All-Star catcher delivered a go-ahead solo home run in the seventh inning to lift Milwaukee to a 3-2 win over the San Diego Padres in Game 1 of the National League Division Series on Saturday night at American Family Field.
Contreras, who was benched for failing to hustle down the line during the final week of the regular season, connected off Padres ace setup man Adrian Morejon to break a 2-2 tie. The left-hander had been stingy all year, yielding just four home runs in 86 innings during the regular season, but Contreras made the postseason a clean slate for a Brewers team that won 103 games in the regular season while hitting the fewest home runs in the National League.
Milwaukee needed the late power after a shaky start from ace Jacob Misiorowski, who lasted four innings. The Brewers had earlier erased a deficit on a tying two-run home run from Jackson Chourio off Padres starter Robbie Ray in the third inning. The shot made the 22-year-old Chourio Milwaukee's all-time leader with five postseason home runs.
With the bullpen holding after Misiorowski's exit and Contreras providing the decisive swing, Milwaukee secured a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series. The Brewers showed they can win a different way, using two home runs to overcome an early deficit despite entering October as the NL's least prolific power-hitting team in the regular season.