Now what? Where Phillies could turn as managerial plans reset originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

For the final two months of the season, almost every conversation surrounding the Phillies’ managerial future pointed toward one person.

That was Alex Cora.

It created what appeared to be an ultimatum for interim manager Don Mattingly. Take the Phillies on a deep postseason run and make a case to stay. Come up short, and the opportunity could disappear.

The latter happened when the Phillies were eliminated from the postseason for the fifth consecutive year. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski reportedly went back to Cora, just as he had after the Red Sox fired him in April.

For the second time this year, Cora declined the opportunity.

And here the Phillies are.

The club has yet to hold its end-of-season press conference. If part of the delay involved waiting for Cora’s answer, the Phillies now have it.

The decision extends beyond choosing the next available name. Dombrowski and managing partner John Middleton first must determine what type of manager fits an aging, expensive roster that still expects to contend in 2027.

Do they stay with Mattingly? Do they hire another manager with experience? Or do they turn toward a first-time candidate who could help guide the transition into the organization’s next core?

Here are several directions they could explore:

Don Mattingly

The most realistic option might already be inside the organization.

Mattingly inherited a 9-19 team in late April and led it to a 79-55 record the rest of the way. It was the fourth-best record in baseball during that span. The Phillies reached the postseason despite an offense that ranked 19th in runs and a bullpen that ranked 21st in ERA.

That does not erase another early playoff exit, but it gives Dombrowski and Middleton more to evaluate than the result of one series. Mattingly steadied a season that was getting away from the Phillies and retained the support of the clubhouse. J.T. Realmuto called him “great” after the season ended, while Aaron Nola said, “We love Don.”

Mattingly also remains under contract through 2027 after originally signing a two-year deal to become the Phillies’ bench coach. The front office knows how he operates, and he has already spent a season building relationships with the players.

That familiarity could become more important this winter. Major League Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1, creating the possibility of a work stoppage. If that happens, a newly hired manager would have only a brief window to speak with his players before communication is cut off.

Mattingly would not face that introduction period. He managed the club for five months, experienced its late-season slide and went through a postseason series with much of the roster expected to return in 2027.

The Phillies should not retain him solely because he is familiar. Between the team’s turnaround, his standing in the clubhouse and the uncertainty surrounding the CBA, however, Mattingly appears to be the most realistic option now that Cora is unavailable.

If the Phillies decide to look elsewhere, they could choose between managers who have already held the job and longtime coaches waiting for their first opportunity.

Rocco Baldelli

Baldelli offers an uncommon combination of experience and relative youth.

The 45-year-old managed the Twins for seven seasons, won American League Manager of the Year in 2019 and led Minnesota to three division titles. The Twins reached the postseason four times under Baldelli but won only one series before the organization dismissed him following the 2025 season.

Baldelli has since joined the Dodgers as a special assistant, giving him an opportunity to work inside another organization that has continued winning while introducing young players around an expensive veteran core.

He has already handled the daily demands of managing a contender and would not arrive with a previous connection to the Phillies’ front office. Baldelli would give the organization a different perspective without asking a first-time manager to learn on a team still expecting to win immediately.

Brad Ausmus

Ausmus has the clearest connection to Dombrowski, who hired him to replace Jim Leyland as Tigers manager before the 2014 season.

Detroit won the American League Central in Ausmus’ first year but was swept by Baltimore in the Division Series. The Tigers missed the postseason in each of the next three seasons, and Ausmus later spent one year managing the Angels.

He has since returned to the bench, first with Oakland and now as Aaron Boone’s bench coach with the Yankees. He also managed Israel during the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

Ausmus has not managed in the majors since 2019, but his relationship with Dombrowski makes him difficult to ignore. The Phillies’ pursuit of Cora showed that Dombrowski remains willing to turn toward people he trusted during his time in Detroit and Boston.

David Ross

Ross managed the Cubs for four seasons after replacing Joe Maddon in 2020. Chicago reached the postseason during his first year but never returned, and Ross finished his tenure with a 262-284 record.

The Cubs went 83-79 in 2023 and remained in the playoff race until the final weekend. They dismissed Ross shortly after the season when Craig Counsell became available.

Ross has remained interested in managing again. At 49, he could offer a longer-term option than Mattingly or Ausmus, although his four seasons in Chicago produced only one winning record and no postseason series victories.

The Phillies could also move away from former managers and consider someone whose résumé was built through scouting, coaching and player development.

Omar López

Few potential candidates have been as closely involved with the development of a championship core as Astros bench coach Omar López.

López joined Houston as a scout and instructor in Venezuela in 1999. He was among the scouts who recommended signing a little-known, 16-year-old José Altuve and later became Altuve’s first manager in the Astros’ system.

He managed for 12 seasons across Houston’s minor-league affiliates. His 2013 Quad Cities team, which included Carlos Correa and Lance McCullers Jr., won the Midwest League championship. López later managed Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez during their climbs through the organization.

He was not responsible for building Houston’s farm system, but he worked directly with several generations of the homegrown players who helped turn the Astros into annual contenders.

López joined the major-league staff in 2020 and won a World Series as Houston’s first-base coach in 2022. He became Joe Espada’s bench coach two years later and strengthened his managerial résumé in March by leading Venezuela to its first World Baseball Classic championship.

The Phillies have not been publicly connected to López. His history with Houston, however, should interest an organization trying to keep its current window open while preparing for the next one.

Rodney Linares

Linares offers experience from two organizations that have consistently developed talent in different ways.

He spent two decades coaching and managing in Houston’s farm system before joining Kevin Cash’s staff with the Rays in 2019. Tampa Bay promoted him from third-base coach to bench coach before the 2023 season.

Linares also managed the Dominican Republic during the 2023 World Baseball Classic. He has never managed in the majors, but his time with Houston and Tampa Bay has exposed him to both a championship organization and a club accustomed to competing with fewer financial resources.

George Lombard

Lombard has served as A.J. Hinch’s bench coach with the Tigers since 2021, working alongside him as Detroit developed a younger roster and returned to contention.

He previously spent five seasons as the Dodgers’ first-base coach and was part of their 2020 championship staff. Before reaching the major-league level, Lombard worked in player development with the Red Sox and Braves.

That background could appeal to a Phillies organization trying to bring Andrew Painter, Justin Crawford and eventually Aidan Miller into a clubhouse still led by its veteran core. Lombard would be managing in the majors for the first time, but he has spent more than a decade working alongside Dave Roberts and Hinch.

The Phillies have rarely made the type of hire that López, Linares or Lombard would represent. Since Charlie Manuel took over before the 2005 season, Gabe Kapler is the only manager they have brought in from outside the organization without previous major-league managerial experience.

Ryne Sandberg, Pete Mackanin, Rob Thomson and Mattingly were promoted from within, while Joe Girardi had already managed for 11 seasons. Choosing a first-time manager from outside the organization would require the Phillies to break from a pattern that has lasted more than two decades.

The Phillies do not need to hire the biggest name available. They need someone who fits where the organization is going.

Cora would have brought a clear change in personality and authority. With that option gone, the Phillies must decide whether Mattingly earned the opportunity to continue or whether their latest postseason exit requires them to try something different.

Austin Wells’ baserunning blunder in Game 1 of the ALDS understandably loomed over everything else he had done this postseason coming into Wednesday.

But otherwise, the Yankees catcher had spent the playoffs performing like the player the club was banking on all along even after a largely brutal regular season.

Entering Game 3 with the season on the line, Wells was 5-for-12 with two doubles, four RBIs and two sacrifice flies in four playoff games, which earned him a jump up the lineup Wednesday against the Rays.

As part of a slight shakeup to his lineup, Aaron Boone batted Wells sixth, which he had only done one other time this season, matching the highest he has hit in the order this year.

The move did not pay off as Wells went 0-for-3 before being lifted for pinch hitter Giancarlo Stanton with a runner on and two outs in the eighth. Stanton, though, struck out as the Yankees headed for a 4-3, season-ending loss.

Wells had been a staple in the bottom third of the lineup all season, including batting eighth or ninth in each of his four playoff games before Wednesday.

But in addition to the results, he had been putting together the kind of tough at-bats that he is capable of but did not always show during a regular season in which he hit .186 with a .624 OPS (much more of a threat in the second half than in the first).

Through all the offensive ups and downs, Wells has continued to handle his pitching staff well and earn their adoration.

“I think when baseball players talk about pros’ pros and guys really handling their business, [there is] a lot of respect inside the room for how Austin has gone about it and how he’s really continued to get better throughout the regular season,” Gerrit Cole said earlier in the series.

Boone also dropped Spencer Jones — the Yankees cleanup hitter in each of the prior three playoff games — down to batting eighth in the lineup, the lowest he has hit against a right-hander since May 19 (facing Dylan Cease).

Jones entered Game 3 batting 2-for-15 with a walk and seven strikeouts in the postseason. But he a good Game 3, going 1-for-2 with an RBI double, two walks and a run scored.

Before Game 3, a handful of Yankees took bunting practice against a pitching machine — something they have done from time to time this year, but certainly not regularly.

It came as they had mustered just two runs through the first two games of the ALDS, both on solo home runs from Ben Rice.

The cacophony had already started as Game 3 was ending Wednesday night – there were some audible chants of “Fire Boone” at Yankee Stadium as the Rays were plunging a dagger into what is another empty Yankee year.

Tampa Bay swept the Yanks out of the best-of-five AL Division Series and the Rays now head to the AL Championship Series. The Yankees wade into the uncertainty of a baseball winter while unpacking raw emotions, so disappointed by the loss that Aaron Boone talked of a “broken clubhouse” in his postgame press conference.

“It’s the worst,” Boone said. He repeated: “It’s the worst.”

It’s also the beginning of, right or wrong, the Boone watch. We live in an era of Blame Culture, after all, right? The manager has one more year remaining on his contract and while there are plenty of fans who make their feelings well known about his job performance – see the above chant or just search him on social media – it seems unlikely, at least in the immediate aftermath of the end of their season, that Boone won’t be the Yankee manager whenever the 2027 season begins.

That’s in part because of the looming labor negotiations that could very well result in a lockout and delay the season. If labor leaves teams idle while the lawyers negotiate, that means the offseason could be shortened. Managers can’t manage during the lockout, and a new guy couldn’t get to know his new players and how he should handle so many varied personalities. Can the expensive Yankees, presumably built to contend, really cram a new manager into a truncated winter as they try to get over their 17-year championship drought?

Plus, Boone probably did one of his finest jobs managing the Yankees this season. The end result wasn’t to the “standard” of a World Series title that the Yanks set every season – one they haven’t fulfilled since 2009, by the by. But they won 93 games while missing big names such as Aaron Judge, Max Fried, Gerrit Cole, Giancarlo Stanton and Cody Bellinger for significant stretches. Then they won their Wild Card Series without Judge, too.

Whether fans like it or not, some of his players were happy to back Boone after the loss, too.

“He’s our manager,” Judge said. “He runs this ship. He puts us in the right position to go out there and succeed, especially in a season like this where I’m banged up, missing 100 games.

“For him to manage it the way he did and put us in the best position to get into the postseason and get an opportunity to win the World Series, he’s definitely had our backs.”

“He’s amazing,” added Cam Schlittler, who flourished into a likely AL Cy Young winner with Boone as his manager. “He’s someone who’s going to put his players first and I think that’s really important…There’s not a single day where I haven’t trusted him or a decision he’s made. I have a great relationship with him. I’ll back him up. I hope I’m playing here for a long time and he’s still the manager.

“He might take the blame for the way we perform, but, at the end of the day, it comes down to us and the expectation needs to be a little bit better.”

Of course, in a group so large, not everyone is going to be happy with the manager all the time. Jazz Chisholm Jr., who did not start Game 3 after a poor Game 2, seemed miffed about the benching – as is his right, certainly – afterward.

When asked about sitting, he replied, “No comment. Next.”

Chisholm, who later entered the game as a pinch-hitter and then went to second, also said he would have appreciated a conversation with Boone about not starting the game. So, yes, it seems impossible for a manager to satisfy every one of his charges.

Boone himself sounded like someone who expects to be back. “Yeah, of course,” Boone said when asked. Then he tried to steer the conversation back to the bitter moment of losing, not his job security. “That’s for another day,” he added. “Right now is about trying to reflect on this, trying to connect with guys right now as much as I can. Appreciative of a lot of things, but those conversations and things are for another day.”

No one is saying there aren’t legitimate gripes about the manager, either. When a team has a defensive collapse like Game 2, coming just two years after a similar defensive debacle in Game 5 of the 2024 World Series, it’s fair to wonder if there’s a culture issue. No, the manager wasn’t the one bungling ground balls or sailing throws, but managers ultimately should answer for performance, too.

There are plenty of Yankee fans that believe not winning the World Series is a fireable offense and they forget all about the sustained success the Yanks have enjoyed. Boone, for instance, is one of three Yankee managers to reach the postseason in eight of their first nine seasons or better with the Yanks. Joe Torre and Casey Stengel, pretty good company, are the others.

Only Boone and Dave Roberts have taken their first-ever managing job and made the playoffs eight times in their first nine years, too.

No, he hasn’t won it all, like Roberts. Or Torre. Or Stengel. He’s got to be better and so do the Yankees. Too many of these season-enders have felt the same.

But you might have to get used to the idea that he’ll be back. The injuries, the labor strife, all make that the easiest answer for the Yankees.

It's another season without a World Series championship for Aaron Judge. 

The Yankees captain, who most certainly will have his No. 99 retired soon after he calls it quits, will have to wait at least another year for his first chance to win gold. This postseason was especially hard for Judge, who had to sit out both the Wild Card Series and ALDS due to a calf injury. He was in the dugout as the Yankees offense mustered just five runs while being swept by the Rays at home in Game 3 of the ALDS.

"It's always tough," Judge said after the loss. "Anytime you're not the last team standing, and lose at home like that, three straight games, it's definitely difficult. It hurts. You want to be out there, all the rehab, all the work, coming here early, staying late. Any time you're banged up, you're trying to get back out there as soon as you can. Hurts not getting a chance to be out there and battling."

Despite not being in the lineup, Judge said he liked the 2026 Yankees' chances in the postseason, as he's said in years past. But this year, from the pitching staff anchored by likely Cy Young winner Cam Schlittler and rounded out by veterans Gerrit Cole, Max Fried and Carlos Rodon, to young hitters Spencer Jones and George Lombard Jr. stepping up, the three-time MVP felt there was enough in the clubhouse to go far.

So, why can't the Yankees get over the hump? While Judge didn't give specifics, he said he and his teammates were not satisfied with this result. 

Then Judge was asked directly about his thoughts on what he thinks the response from GM Brian Cashman and owner Hal Steinbrenner should be following another postseason loss, and the captain answered honestly. 

"We're the Yankees. I feel like they should go all-in and do what they need to do," Judge said. "If we've got holes, if it's finding certain players or personnel, whatever we need, you got to go out there and get it. That's why I signed back here to play with the Yankees is to fight for a championship every single year and go all-in. That's what I do every offseason, is get ready to give this team and this city everything I got. And I expect them to do the same."

When he was asked if he felt they went "all-in," Judge said he will leave the moves to the front office and will control what he can control. But when a follow-up asked if he felt the front office went "all-in enough," Judge took a beat before responding.

"It's tough to say. I want to trade for everybody, sign everybody every single year, but I know that's not realistic," he said. "They give us a winning team every single year, but that's not good enough here in New York. We're the Yankees. You've got to go out there and expect championships and go all-in every year. I'm excited to see what they do."

Aaron Judge was asked if he thinks the Yankees' front office has gone all-in enough: "It's tough to say. I want to trade for everybody, sign everybody every single year, but I know that's not realistic. They give us a winning team every single year, but that's not good enough here in New York. We're the Yankees. You've got to go out there and expect championships and go all-in every year. I'm excited to see what they do."

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) October 8, 2026

Following a disappointing end to their 2026 season, the Yankees will take some time to reflect on what went wrong before eventually gearing up for another year to try and win a World Series.

Part of that preparation will come in the form of free agency, where New York will decide which players it wants to add or possibly run back for another go-around. In fact, the Yankees will have to make decisions on a few guys this offseason as players like Jazz Chisholm Jr., Paul Goldschmidt and Trent Grisham will all become free agents.

For Chisholm and Grisham, it will be their first time on the open market while the veteran Goldschmidt has been in this position before.

“I do hope to be back,” Chisholm said. “... This is where I want to be.”

The 28-year-old who joined the Yanks at the 2024 MLB Trade Deadline has had an up-and-down tenure in New York. Chisholm got off to a great start after being acquired and hit 11 home runs in 46 games – power he hadn’t exactly tapped into with the Miami Marlins – while playing third base, a position he was unfamiliar with but willing to play.

Chisholm fizzled offensively in the playoffs during the Yankees’ World Series run, but he returned in 2025 and had a career year with 31 home runs, 80 RBI and a 4.1 WAR to go along with 31 steals after 40 (18 with New York) the season prior.

After another no-show in the playoffs, Chisholm returned to the Yankees on a one-year, $10.2 million contract to avoid arbitration, but for the first time in New York, found some struggles. 

A disappointing season bled into a disappointing postseason, which culminated with manager Aaron Boone going with Anthony Volpe at second base over Chisholm in Game 3 against the Tampa Bay Rays to try and spark his offense -- a decision that Chisholm had "no comment" on following the loss.

“You guys thought I had a great year last year and I didn’t even feel like I had a great year. It was a decent year, but [I] definitely didn’t have my best year this year,” Chisholm said.

Still, the versatile infielder who can also play the outfield, including center field, expressed his adoration for playing in New York and wants to stay put, although he knows there’s a chance his days with the Yanks are done.

“I love it as a Yankee,” he said. “I grew up as a Yankee fan. Being from the Bahamas, watching Derek Jeter and those guys every day. It was a great time being a Yankee, I love my time as a Yankee, I had great years with the Yankees, had an All-Star year, had a Silver Slugger year; it was great. 

“I mean who doesn’t want to stay with the team that you’ve had such great times with and great years with? To see it maybe end here sucks, but it’s part of the business.”

Another player New York might let go is Goldschmidt, who had a resurgence this season as the team’s platoon first baseman a season after being the full-time first baseman in his first season with the Yanks.

Goldschmidt, now 39 years old, slashed .252/.313/.452 with 18 home runs in 345 at-bats and expressed his desire to keep playing next season. Whether that’s with the Yankees, somewhere else or at all will be determined during the offseason.

“I’d like to continue playing so we’ll see if that opportunity happens,” Goldschmidt said. “I had a lot of fun playing here and just wanted to enjoy playing and enjoy competing and try to be part of and impact a team and help us win and was able to do that somewhat, but not ultimately get us with the group of guys here to win. 

“So my mindset really hasn’t changed, hopefully be able to have a chance to do that again and hopefully win a championship.”

During his 16-year career, the seven-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glove winner, five-time Silver Slugger and 2022 MVP has never won a World Series.

As for Grisham, who accepted his qualifying offer last offseason for $22 million to be the Yankees’ everyday center fielder, he regressed heavily after a career year in 2025. 

Boone gave him an opportunity to get things started in Game 3 of the ALDS by moving him up to the leadoff spot, but Grisham finished 0-for-5 and made the final out of the game on a strikeout, which ended New York’s season.

“The only thing I can say on it is I love the people here,” Grisham said about his pending free agency. “I’ve loved playing here. It’s a joy to show up every day and pull on the same side of the rope and really go after winning every day. I’ve loved my time here.”

Aaron Judge has been here too many times before: watching another team celebrate in front of him at Yankee Stadium. 

“Just hating every single moment of it,’’ Judge said of his thoughts when he was sitting in the dugout after the Rays beat the Yankees 4-3 to complete a three-game sweep of the ALDS. “So I don’t forget it. I was thinking of missed opportunities this season and this series.” 

That may be what the 2026 Yankee season will most be remembered for, as Judge was forced to miss such a sizable chunk of the regular season due to a fractured rib that cost him over three months and then the strained calf that prevented him from playing in the postseason. 

Asked how close he was to being activated for the ALDS after missing the wild-card series win over Boston, Judge said, “We’re talking hypotheticals. If I was on the roster or not, guys were out there fighting and I had all the faith in them. I like our chances whether I’m out there or not.” 

He said he was “feeling great,” but the lineup certainly missed Judge’s presence — just as it did during the regular season. 

“It definitely hurts,’’ Judge said. “You want to be out there. You try to get out there as soon as you can. It hurts not to get a chance to get out and battle.” 

Now, the Yankees have to watch the rest of the postseason play out without them and then head into an offseason filled with uncertainty, with a lockout likely in December. 

Judge was asked what the team needs to do to get better and avoid being in this situation again, as they have every year of his career. 

“We’re the Yankees,’’ Judge said. “I feel like [the front office] should go all in and do what they need to do. If we’ve got holes, if it’s finding certain players, whatever we need.” 

He praised the contributions of young players like Cam Schlittler, George Lombard Jr. and Spencer Jones and said he was impressed with how Anthony Volpe bounced back after being sent down to the minors. 

None of it was enough to get the Yankees back to the top of the baseball world. 

Judge said “a lot of things” need to happen for that to change. 

“I control what I can as a player,’’ Judge said. “They give us a winning team every year. That’s not good enough in New York.” 

And it resulted in a division rival clinching an ALDS win over the Yankees in The Bronx, with the Blue Jays doing it a year ago. 

“I don’t like that, other teams celebrating at our place,’’ Judge said. “If you don’t like it, you’ve got to play better.”

Box Score

The Brewers are heading back to the NLCS. An all-around strong game by the Brewers led them to a 3-1 win over the Padres, ending the series in four games and setting up a rematch from last season.

The game started out looking rough for the Brewers. In the top of the first, Jackson Chourio, Christian Yelich, and William Contreras went down on six pitches. Meanwhile, the Padres put the pressure on right away. After Fernando Tatis popped out on the first pitch Robert Gasser threw, Jackson Merrill hit a one out single to right-center. Manny Machado then surprised everyone with a bunt, and it was perfectly placed for a single.

Next up was Ty France, and he hit what looked like a double-play ball to Joey Ortiz. He took the out at first himself, but did not throw to first. It’s not clear why he didn’t go for it, but it was the second out of the inning. Gasser then walked Austin Hays on five pitches, loading the bases for Xander Bogaerts. However, Gasser recovered and got Bogaerts to pop out, ending the inning.

Both teams traded scoreless second innings. Jake Bauers drew a one-out walk, but Cooper Pratt grounded into a double play to end the inning. Meanwhile, Gasser recovered with an efficient inning, retiring the side on 12 pitches while striking out one.

In the third, Brewers’ baseball was on full display. Sal Frelick led off the inning with a single that Jake Cronenworth managed to knock down and keep in the infield. Frelick then stole second, and Garrett Mitchell brought him in with an RBI single to center. For the first time in the series, the Brewers scored first, leading 1-0.

They had a chance to add on more, but Ortiz grounded into a double play for the first two outs of the inning. Chourio drew a two-out walk after that, but Yelich grounded out to end the top of the inning.

The lead wouldn’t hold up long, unfortunately. Tatis Jr. led off the bottom of the third, and hit the fourth pitch he saw 429 feet out to center field, tying the game at 1-1. Gasser recovered by retiring the next three batters he saw, keeping the game tied.

The Brewers kept the pressure on in the fourth. Contreras singled to start the inning, which ended Walker Buehler’s day. He pitched 3+ innings and allowed just the one run, allowing three hits and two walks with no strikeouts. Robbie Ray was first in out of the bullpen for the Padres. He allowed a one-out walk to Bauers, but that was it as he got out of the inning.

Gasser got one more inning for the Brewers, and despite an error by Pratt that allowed Campusano to reach, he got out of the inning without issue. Gasser gave the Brewers four strong innings, allowing just one run, three hits, and a walk while striking out three.

Mitchell started out the fifth inning with a big hit for the Brewers, tripling to right to give the Brewers a leadoff runner for the third straight inning. This time, the Brewers would not strand him. After Ortiz grounded out, Chourio hit a single to center and brought in Mitchell. The Brewers had the lead back, 2-1. Yelich added a single in the fifth, that was it.

Aaron Ashby was the first reliever out of the bullpen for the Brewers in the bottom of the fifth. He didn’t run into any issues, retiring the side in order on nine pitches. He also got some help from Pratt, who recovered from his earlier error with a nice play to get Tatis Jr.

Meanwhile, the Brewers offense kept going. Bauers led off the sixth with a single, the fourth straight inning where the Brewers had their leadoff man on. Pratt then kept up his redemption his a hard-hit ball down the left field line, which bounced out over the wall for a ground-rule double. Frelick was up next, and hit one deep to left, but remained in the park. It was more than deep enough to score Bauers, and the Brewers added a critical insurance run, making it a 3-1 game.

Ashby remained in the game for the sixth, and despite allowing a walk to Ty France, a double play made it a 1-2-3 inning, with Ashby just needing 12 pitches in that inning. The Padres chose to go to Mason Miller in the seventh inning as the top of the Brewers’ lineup was due up. He started out strong with a line out of Chourio and strikeout of Yelich — the first strikeout by a Padres’ pitcher in the game. Miller faltered after that, allowing back-to-back singles to Contreras and Turang. Bauers then drew his third walk of the game, reaching base for the fourth time and loading them. Pratt had a chance to do some damage, but he lined out to center to end the inning. He also burned the Brewers’ last ABS challenge in the at-bat.

In a surprise move, Ashby remained in the game for the seventh inning. He had thrown just 21 pitches through two innings and was still in good shape. He got Bogaerts to ground out and Campusano to strike out for the first two outs of the inning. He then walked pinch-hitter Miguel Andujar, bringing up Samad Taylor. Ashbe froze Taylor with a four-pitch strikeout, finishing up three excellent innings for the Brewers’ bullpen.

After the Brewers went down in order against Joe Musgrove in the eighth, it was Abner Uribe for the ninth with the top of the lineup due up. The inning did not start out well with Tatis Jr. drawing a walk in an at-bat that Contreras wanted to challenge a couple pitches, but could not because the Brewers were out. Uribe recovered with a strikeout of Merrill, bringing up Machado. On the second pitch, Machado hit a ball to deep center field that was going to leave the park for a game-tying home run. However, Mitchell denied him, making a leaping grab to rob Machado and keep the Brewers ahead.

France popped out after that and morale for the Padres was at a low for the series. The Brewers were three outs away from the NLCS.

They couldn’t tack on in the top of the ninth, though they did have another scoring chance. Yelich was hit by a pitch hit one out, and stole second base. Turang sent one to deep left field, but it wasn’t deep enough and the inning ended.

Trevor Megill came in for the ninth inning to close the game out. Jacob Misiorowski was also throwing in the bullpen just in case. Megill began with a four-pitch strikeout of pinch-hitter Ethan Salas. Bogaerts was up next and worked the count full, but ended with a groundout to Ortiz for the second out. Gavin Sheets was called in as a pinch-hitter with two outs and the Brewers needing one more out. Megill started with two balls, came back with two strikes, then got Sheets to strike out looking and end the game, sending the Brewers to the National League Championship Series.

The pitching staff was the star of the game. Their four pitchers held the Padres to one run, three hits, and four walks. They also struck out nine. After Tatis Jr.’s home run, the Brewers did not allow another hit in the game. Gasser pitched four innings and allowed one run, Ashby had three scoreless, and Uribe and Megill each had a scoreless inning each. The big assist goes to Mitchell, who robbed Machado of a home run and two runs on the board.

Meanwhile, the Brewers’ offense was balanced, recording ten hits and four walks. Contreras and Mitchell had two-hit days. Bauers reached base in all four of his plate appearances. The only Brewer that did not reach base was Ortiz.

The Brewers now get a few days off before the NLCS starts on Sunday. The opponent will be the Dodgers, once again. The Dodgers won the series against the Braves in four games earlier today. This will be the third time in the last nine years the teams face off in the NLCS. First pitch on Sunday is at 7 p.m. on FOX, and you have to expect that the starter will be Jacob Misiorowski.

SAN DIEGO — Well, here we go again, it’s the Milwaukee Brewers against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Small market vs. big market.

David vs. Goliath.

The Brewers earned their second consecutive National League Championship Series date against the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 3-1 victory over the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night, winning the best-of-five NL Division Series, 3 games to 1 at Petco Park.

The victory snapped the Brewers’ 12-game postseason losing streak in road games dating back to 2018, tied for the longest in MLB history. It was just their second victory on the road in a clinching game in franchise history.

The fact that the Brewers were able to secure the Division Series victory without needing a Game 5 could be huge for their hopes to unseat the two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers.

They now will be able to line up Cy Young favorite Jacob Misiorowski in Game 1 Sunday at American Family Field, meaning that he will be on a week’s rest Sunday, and can come back and start a potential Game 5 or 6.

And unlike a year ago, when they were emotionally spent after knocking off the rival Chicago Cubs, and were swept without leading a single inning, they’ve got four days to sober up, and prepare for the Dodgers.

The Brewers, who have become postseason regulars, are more than ready, trying to return to the World Series for the first time since 1982, and win their first championship in franchise history.

“I think these guys feel a responsibility to the city, to the fans, to the state,’’ Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “I think they've taken on all that, and they've heard enough chatter. I've said it from the beginning, and I'm not making an excuse, the postseason is crucial, but it can be a crapshoot sometimes as we've witnessed. …

“Sometimes it's daunting when you have a young club and you have a club that has taken on those expectations. It's also kind of fun to see them come through it."

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On this night, once they began their celebration on the field, they just needed to exhale.

Until Wednesday, every game this series was decided by just one run, with no team having a lead larger than two runs. The Brewers outscored the Padres by a combined 13-10.

Every game was decided in the ninth inning, and even on this night, Manny Machado came within just a foot or two of hitting a game-tying home run in the eighth inning that was snared over the center-field fence by Garrett Mitchell.

“Just the level of play, the level of intensity for each pitch, and just the quality of baseball,’’ Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick said. “It just felt like it was back-and-forth, respond, respond, respond. It's fun playing that kind of baseball."