Brewers: Ranking the 5 Biggest Plays from a July 4th Win Over the Cubs

Here’s a ranking of the five most important plays from the Brewers’ July 4th walk-off win over the Cubs.

4. Christian Yelich’s bases loaded walk

Things were getting pretty grim for the Brewers in the bottom of the ninth. This was after the Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki hit an improbable inside-the-park home run off star closer Josh Hader in the top of the frame to put Chicago back up 2-1.

The Brewers would start things off well with a Urias single. Then after Victor Caratini‘s fourth strikeout of the day (more on him later), Keston Hiura hit a strong shot to the gap which unfortunately bounced over the wall, not allowing Urias to score and placing runners on second and third.

A Jace Peterson strikeout followed by a hit by pitch to pinch hitter Kolten Wong would load the bases with two outs and Christian Yelich, the team’s leadoff hitter, coming to the plate. He wouldn’t end the game, but he would watch Cubs closer David Robertson throw four straight balls, resulting in a bases loaded, game-tying walk.

Shortstop Willy Adames would come up next with his own chance to end the game. Unfortunately, two bad strike calls would kick off a plate appearance that ended in a strike out, sending the game to extra innings.

3. Willy Adames’s impressive defensive play

Adames may not have pulled off the walkoff for the Brewers in the bottom of the ninth inning, but he did make his presence known in on the other side of the ball, coming up with a huge defensive play in the top of the seventh inning.

In that inning, the Cubs were threatening to extend their 1-0 lead. Suzuki started the action with a single and advanced to second on a passed ball by Severino. Shortly thereafter, Chicago shortstop Nico Hoerner drew a walk to put runners on first and second with no outs.

Lauer would do well to induce a grounder from third baseman Patrick Wisdom which led to a double play, but Suzuki would advance to third on the play, sitting just 90 feet away from adding the Cubs’ next run. Lauer would then force designated hitter Yan Gomes to ground a ball just barely within Adames’s range, but the Milwaukee shortstop would make the impressive play.

The Adames play would keep the score at 1-0, of course then leading to the aforementioned game-tying double by Severino in the bottom half of that inning.