No, the Brewers did not win last night. The Milwaukee Brewers fell 4-3 to the San Diego Padres in Game 3 of the National League Division Series on Tuesday night at a sold-out Petco Park, a result that kept San Diego's season alive and forced a Game 4 on Wednesday. NLDS fans searching for the score found a tense, back-and-forth game that went down to the final out.

Xander Bogaerts turned a game-ending double play at shortstop for the Padres, who trimmed Milwaukee's lead in the best-of-five series to 2-1 with a tense, back-and-forth victory over the MLB-best Brewers. The loss was Milwaukee's twelfth straight postseason road defeat, a stretch that now ties the longest in major league history.

How San Diego Turned the Night Around

Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado drove in two runs to give the Padres a 2-0 lead, before the Brewers answered when William Contreras hit a home run, scoring his second of the postseason and making it 2-1 in the fourth inning. The game stayed tight from there, with neither bullpen giving an inch.

Jake Cronenworth hit the tiebreaking homer, and Game 1 starter Michael King pitched the final two innings to close it out for San Diego. It marked King's first save since 2023, his first in the postseason and his first for the Padres.

Jackson Merrill Becomes Milwaukee's Nightmare

Two Catches That Changed the Game

The Padres' center fielder was the defensive story of the night. Merrill ripped a single to center that broke an 0-for-11 career stretch against Brewers starter Dustin May, later stealing a base and scoring on a Manny Machado single to make it 2-0. But it was his glove that stood out most — he robbed Milwaukee's Sal Frelick of extra bases not once but twice early in the game.

Pat Murphy's Hot Mic Steals the Spotlight

Brewers manager Pat Murphy was wired for a live in-game interview during the third inning when Frelick smoked a ball toward the gap. "Eh, we've been a little antsy, I think we've swang at some pitch … Get in the gap, Sal! God damn it, Merrill!" Murphy blurted before the interview abruptly ended. The unfiltered reaction — captured as Merrill made a sliding catch to rob Frelick — quickly became one of the night's most talked-about moments, overshadowing even the final score for casual fans scrolling social media.

What Murphy Said After the Loss

Murphy didn't shy away from the result afterward. "We hit four or five balls over 100 that were caught, but we also punched out in big situations," Murphy said. "We had bases loaded. We had other big situations that we didn't cut through, so it's part of baseball. You're facing a good team with a good pitching staff."

The numbers backed him up. Milwaukee left 11 runners on base, and Christian Yelich lined a ball up the middle in a big spot, only for Bogaerts to snag it on a short hop and turn it into the game-ending double play.

Context: A Historic Road Skid

The loss stung beyond the box score. The streak matched a dubious major league record set by the Senators and Twins that spanned 62 years from 1925 to 1987, dropping the franchise to 6-24 all-time in postseason road games and 0-12 since a 2018 NLCS win at Dodger Stadium. Still, Murphy pointed to the quality of the opposition as a silver lining. "It's tough to win on the road in playoff situations, obviously," Murphy said, noting that all but one of the teams that had beaten Milwaukee on the road went on to the World Series. "I wouldn't beat up the old Brewers if you don't mind."

Game 4: What Comes Next

Despite the setback, Milwaukee still controls its own destiny. The Brewers carry a 2-1 series lead into Game 4, which is scheduled for Wednesday night at Petco Park in San Diego, with first pitch at 10 p.m. ET on FS1. A Milwaukee win would send the Brewers to the NLCS; a Padres win would force a decisive Game 5 back home in Milwaukee on Friday.

Elsewhere in October baseball, the Braves have also battled back in their own series, a reminder of how competitive this year's division round has been across the National League.

Series So Far

  • Game 1: Brewers won in Milwaukee.
  • Game 2: Brewers won in Milwaukee.
  • Game 3: Padres won 4-3 at Petco Park.
  • Game 4: Wednesday, 10 p.m. ET, Petco Park, San Diego.