WATCH: Brice Turang didn’t wear a pitch that would have brought home the game-tying run with two outs in the bottom of the 9th

Down 2–1 in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded and two outs, the Brewers were one swing or in this case, one bruise, away from tying Game 1 of the NLCS against the Dodgers. Instead, Brice Turang flinched on a low, 85 mph breaking ball inside that would’ve hit him square in the thigh, bringing in the tying run.

One pitch later, he struck out on a ball several inches above the zone. Game over.

Brewers were one Brice Turang HBP away from tying it in the 9th

The Brewers were THIS close to tying that game on a HBP 🤯 pic.twitter.com/Usee2Eb7BK

— MLB (@MLB) October 14, 2025

Brice Turang Postgame:

Brice Turang on the last two pitches of the game:

"It sucks. It is what it is. Natural reaction to kindof get out of the way and there's nothing I can do, I can't go back." https://t.co/50LOucFQv1 pic.twitter.com/VtV5lHgPgO

— Scott Grodsky (@ScottGrodsky) October 14, 2025

“It sucks. It is what it is,” Turang said afterward. “Natural reaction to kind of get out of the way. I mean, there’s nothing I can do. I can’t go back. I was looking up at the top of the zone for the sinker-sweeper that he’s thrown, and he threw me a four-seamer, and it took off. Yeah, it is what it is.”

No doubt about it, instincts overrode logic. It’s no secret that Brice Turang should have worn that pitch and allowed the run to come in from third base to tie the game in the bottom of the 9th. It would have kept the inning alive, the bases still loaded, and gave the Brewers a fighting chance to win Game 1.

Chase Utley would have worn it. Hell, even Alec Bohm would have worn it, just like he did in the NLDS way back in 2022 against the St. Louis Cardinals.

As expected, Brewers manager Pat Murphy defended his second baseman after the game, calling it “a natural reaction.” He wasn’t about to pile on a 25-year-old who just watched the season’s biggest moment slip away in front of 40,000 people.

Fans in Milwaukee weren’t quite as forgiving. Social media lit up with frustration, calling Turang out for not wearing an 85 mph pitch and giving the team a chance.

You can’t blame them either.

In October, that’s the kind of play that separates the guys who become legends from the ones who carry the regret all winter. Again, Brice Turang is not wrong. It’s a natural reaction to move when a 96 mph fastball is screaming at your leg.

Still, when you’re a few inches away from changing the series, “natural reaction” isn’t the line fans want to hear. Sometimes playoff baseball isn’t about big swings or heroic moments, it’s about having the guts to take one off the thigh.

Join The Chase