Megill finishes off bullpen’s brilliant performance: 'There’s no relaxing'

MILWAUKEE -- Trevor Megill could relax when he got home. Maybe after a shower.

With Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. at the plate in the eighth inning and four outs standing between the Brewers and a victory in Game 1 of the National League Division Series, there was still work to do.

“There’s no relaxing,” Megill said. “We’re relaxing now when we get home and shower. But that’s part of the game in October, is you got to do some uncomfortable things and make it happen.”

Milwaukee asked its closer to do something he rarely does Saturday: finish more than one inning. Megill answered with four scoreless outs, navigating the top of San Diego’s order to earn his first career postseason save and secure a 3-2 victory in the NLDS opener at American Family Field.

His effort completed five shutout innings from a bullpen that took over after Jacob Misiorowski’s four-inning start. Antonio Senzatela, Aaron Ashby, Abner Uribe, DL Hall and Megill covered the final 15 outs, giving Jackson Chourio’s game-tying homer and William Contreras’ seventh-inning go-ahead blast room to stand up.

“Megill was masterful,” manager Pat Murphy said. “All five relievers did a heck of a job.”

Megill pitched more than one inning only twice during the regular season, once against these Padres on Aug. 12 and once against the Mets on Aug. 25. His 1 1/3 innings Saturday matched his postseason career high, established against the Mets in Game 2 of the 2024 NL Wild Card Series.

He allowed one hit and struck out two. The assignment itself came as no surprise.

“I knew there would be a four-out, five-out save on the table today,” Megill said. “And with the traffic, it just kind of forced [manager Pat] Murphy’s hand there.”

Asked what went through his mind entering to face Tatis, Megill needed three words.

“Get him out.”

Earlier, Ashby had supplied the longest stint of Milwaukee’s relief effort. He entered in the fifth with runners on first and third after Senzatela departed and got Jackson Merrill to fly out. From there, he delivered 1 2/3 hitless, scoreless innings, matching his postseason career high for innings pitched in his 11th October appearance.

Ashby described his assignment as holding the line and handing the game to the arms behind him. The changing roles and inherited traffic were familiar.

“We trust every guy down there, we got each other’s backs,” Ashby said. “In the postseason, it’s going to be a lot of inherited runners.”

Hall escaped a bases-loaded situation before Megill took the final turn. It was the kind of collective effort Milwaukee expects in a series featuring two of baseball’s best bullpens. San Diego’s relievers led the Majors in FanGraphs WAR during the regular season; Milwaukee’s group led the NL with a 3.40 ERA.

The ninth still supplied one uncomfortable moment. Ty France’s towering fly ball struck an overhead wire and changed direction before Chourio caught it near the left-field line.

Megill hadn’t seen anything like it in four years here. He didn’t know the ruling until the home plate umpire explained that the ball remained live.

“Just was hoping he caught it,” Megill said.

Chourio did. Megill finished. And the bullpen had picked up its ace.

“Those guys were working their [butt] off to get through that game,” Misiorowski said. “It’s definitely what we’ve been doing this whole season.”

Now comes the next assignment.

“You got to get out there and do what you can for the boys,” Megill said, “and be ready the next day.”