In a taut bullpen battle that showcased the razor-thin margins of October baseball, the Milwaukee Brewers punched their ticket to the National League Championship Series with a 3-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs in Game 5 of the NLDS on October 11, 2025, at American Family Field. The series, a home-team sweep in all five games, ended with Milwaukee taking a decisive 3-2 edge, capping a postseason run for the Cubs that saw them dispatch the Padres in the Wild Card round but fall short against their NL Central rivals.
Both squads opted for opener strategies, with Milwaukee’s Trevor Megill setting a tone of control by retiring the Cubs in order in the top of the first—the first scoreless frame for Chicago in the series. The Brewers wasted no time striking first in the bottom half, as catcher William Contreras launched a two-out solo homer off Cubs starter Drew Pomeranz, a 389-foot blast to left-center that gave Milwaukee a 1-0 lead.
Chicago answered swiftly in the top of the second. Reliever Jacob Misiorowski, who had taken over for Megill, surrendered a leadoff solo shot to Seiya Suzuki—a 390-foot drive to right-center that knotted the score at 1-1 and kept the Cubs’ hopes alive. That would prove to be their only run of the night, as Milwaukee’s arms clamped down thereafter.
The Brewers regained the edge in the bottom of the fourth against Cubs righty Colin Rea. After loading the bases with two outs, first baseman Andrew Vaughn delivered a two-out solo homer to left, pushing Milwaukee ahead 2-1. The threat grew even more ominous as the bases juiced up again, but reliever Daniel Palencia induced shortstop Joey Ortiz into a weak groundout to short, escaping further damage.
A pivotal moment arrived in the top of the sixth, where the Cubs mounted their best chance to tie it. First baseman Michael Busch ripped a leadoff single up the middle, and second baseman Nico Hoerner was plunked by a pitch, putting two on with nobody out. But outfielder Kyle Tucker fanned, Suzuki crushed a deep fly to left-center that rookie Jackson Chourio snared at the wall, and Ian Happ struck out swinging—stranding the runners and preserving Milwaukee’s lead.
The Brewers provided some late insurance in the bottom of the seventh. Against reliever Andrew Kittredge, second baseman Brice Turang smoked a two-out solo homer, extending the advantage to 3-1. From there, closer Abner Uribe slammed the door, tossing scoreless eighth and ninth innings with the Cubs managing just a walk to Busch in the eighth as their lone baserunner down the stretch.
All four runs in the contest came via the long ball—solo shots, no less—with Milwaukee’s three coming after two outs, a recurring theme in this back-and-forth series. Pomeranz and Rea combined for early stability on the Cubs’ side, but the bullpen couldn’t contain the Brewers’ timely power. For Milwaukee, Misiorowski weathered the early storm, while Chad Patrick and Uribe delivered in the clutch.
The loss ends a promising 92-win campaign for the Cubs, who battled valiantly but couldn’t overcome Milwaukee’s home-field magic. The Brewers, boasting baseball’s best regular-season record in 2025, now shift focus to the NLCS, one step closer to a World Series return.
