Milwaukee moves within one win of its first pennant in 44 years after the journeyman first baseman breaks a seventh-inning tie off Blake Snell at Dodger Stadium.
LOS ANGELES — Jake Bauers delivered the defining swing of Milwaukee's postseason run on Wednesday night, snapping a late deadlock with a two-run home run off Los Angeles Dodgers starter Blake Snell to spark the Brewers to a 6-2 victory in Game 3 of the NL Championship Series.
The victory gives the Brewers a commanding 3-0 series advantage, moving Milwaukee within one win of reaching the World Series for the first time in 44 years. Game 4 takes place Thursday evening at Dodger Stadium.
Snell had retired 14 consecutive batters before Andrew Vaughn drew a walk to open the seventh inning. That set the stage for Bauers, who engaged the left-hander in a grueling 11-pitch clash. Bauers took strike one, watched consecutive deliveries miss the zone, and ticked a foul on a changeup. In a two-strike hole, Bauers stayed alive by fouling off a slider, a curveball, a four-seamer, another changeup, and a second slider before Snell missed over the heart of the plate with a fastball.
Bauers punished the mistake, driving a Statcast-projected 412-foot blast into the right-field seats to give Milwaukee a 3-2 lead with his first home run of October. Garrett Mitchell followed with a solo shot to right, building a 4-2 cushion and knocking Snell out of the game. It marked just the third time in franchise history that Brewers teammates delivered back-to-back playoff home runs.
Bauers became only the sixth hitter in postseason history to homer on an 11th pitch or later of a plate appearance since pitch tracking started in 1988. He is also only the second player ever to log plate appearances lasting at least 11 pitches in consecutive playoff games, joining Aramis Ramirez of the 2003 Chicago Cubs. Bauers previously worked a 12-pitch walk against Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto during Game 2.
"I've seen all the ups and downs he's been through and it's been a lot of downs," Snell said of Bauers, his former minor league teammate in the Tampa Bay system. "So for him to go through this right now, he's earned it. Hat's off to him. I mean, what an at-bat. I threw everything I had." Bauers stayed hunting the heater: "I was looking for a fastball, and I didn't want to miss it. I said I'll adjust to anything else, but if you get a heater, don't miss it."
The dramatic breakthrough capped a remarkable reversal for Bauers, who nearly quit baseball two winters earlier. Following a 2024 campaign in which he batted .199 in a reserve role, Milwaukee cut him in November rather than tendering a contract for arbitration. Having bounced through organizations in San Diego, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Tampa Bay, and the New York Yankees, Bauers privately told his wife, Lauren, that he wanted to step away and move the family to Costa Rica or Greece.
Lauren urged him to remain in the game. With the couple expecting their second child, Bauers accepted an invitation on a minor league pact to remain in Milwaukee for 2025. He elevated his offensive output considerably that summer before producing a career-year in 2026 at age 30. Bauers appeared in 144 games, paced the Brewers with 26 homers, and registered a 143 wRC+ that ranked seventh across the majors, finishing ahead of Shohei Ohtani, Elly De La Cruz, and Junior Caminero.
"Everyone's baseball journey is unique," Christian Yelich said. "Everyone has their own experience in the game and a lot of those experiences end up molding you. You probably don't realize it in the moment, but they are learning lessons and you come out the other side a little bit better. Jake has certainly done that in his career." Mitchell also praised Bauers, noting how enduring baseball adversity fosters genuine clubhouse closeness.
Standing on the foul line during the anthem before the series began, Bauers reflected on his wife's steadfast support through the hardest periods of his career. Lauren watched from the stands as her husband drove the decisive blow into the night sky. With one more victory in Southern California, Milwaukee will secure its return to the Fall Classic.
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Jake Bauers hits go-ahead HR off Blake Snell in 11-pitch at bat in NLCS Game 3 October 14, 2026
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Brewers go one win from World Series as back-to-back homers sink Dodgers October 15, 2026