Devin WilliamsPatrick McDermott/Getty Images
Alas, here lie the 2024 Brewers. Hoisted by their own petard.
On the previously mentioned matter of clutchness, that was one thing the Brewers had firmly on their side during the regular season. Consider, for example, how their hitters and pitchers fared in high-leverage situations:
This wouldn’t have meant jack if the Brewers had failed to carry their clutch gene over to the Wild Card Series. Yet between the beginning of Game 2 and the almost-ending of Game 3, it wasn’t just there. It was the story of the series.
Jake Bauers and Sal Frelick going back-to-back for the lead in Game 3? Clutch.
Brewers pitchers not allowing a single run for 15 straight innings? Clutch.
But then it was…well, it was just all gone, wasn’t it? And the really painful part for the Brewers is that they didn’t even deserve to have it taken away.
If you get to a point where you can hand your two-time All-Star closer a multi-run lead in the ninth inning of an elimination game, you’ve done something right. And Williams had been even more automatic than usual, having gone 14 straight appearances without allowing a run.
And the pitch he threw Alonso? It wasn’t even that bad.
When it comes down to it, the Brewers lost a game they should have won. It was bound to happen, but they were surely hoping it could wait until 2025.
