Brewers double play, explained: How Sal Frelick, William Contreras ended Dodgers' rally with unbelievable play

Dan Treacy

Brewers double play, explained: How Sal Frelick, William Contreras ended Dodgers' rally with unbelievable play image

The Milwaukee Brewers might need some good fortune to dethrone the mighty Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS, and they got some in Game 1.

The Dodgers seemed poised to take the lead and potentially break the game open with the bases loaded and only one out, and Max Muncy was feet away from doing just that when the unbelievable happened.

Brewers OF Sal Frelick turned a near-grand slam into a double play despite not even catching the ball, starting a chain of events that left the Dodgers' dugout stunned.

Here's a look at what exactly happened in the fourth inning of NLCS Game 1.

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Brewers double play, explained

No one could blame Muncy for believing he might have had a grand slam when he smacked the ball all the way to the centerfield wall, but Frelick got a glove on it before it could go out. Getting a glove on it was all Frelick could do, though, as the ball deflected off his glove, off the wall, and ultimately back into his glove.

From afar, Dodgers baserunners appeared to believe Frelick caught the ball. Left field umpire Chad Fairchild signaled that the ball was not caught, and the Brewers pounced. 

Because the bases were loaded and the ball wasn't caught, Milwaukee was able to get Teoscar Hernandez out at home for a force out for the second out of the inning without tagging him. Catcher William Contreras then ran to third base to get Will Smith, who was just as confused as everyone else and never ran to third.

Frelick appeared stunned at the result of the play. TBS cameras appeared to catch him asking, "What the f--- just happened?" as the Brewers celebrated and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts came out to protest. After review, both out calls were confirmed. 

Even the broadcast booth was confused, as play-by-play announcer Brian Anderson initially said Hernandez was safe at home because he didn't realize it was a force out at the plate.  

Hernandez seemed to be the only one who figured out what was happening, as he knew he was out as soon as he started walking away from home plate.

It was the first 8-6-2 double play in postseason history, to no surprise.

The double play kept the game scoreless in the fourth inning, firing up the Milwaukee crowd despite the Brewers' offense struggling to break through against Dodgers starter Blake Snell.

Dan Treacy

Dan Treacy is a content producer for Sporting News, joining in 2022 after graduating from Boston University. He founded @allsportsnews on Instagram in 2012 and has written for Lineups and Yardbarker.