Game 1 of the NLCS between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers had a bizarre double play.
The Milwaukee Brewers are hosting the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night in Game 1 of the National League Championship series. LA turned to ace left-hander Blake Snell for the series opener, while Milwaukee went with Aaron Ashby for one inning to start the game before turning things over to Quinn Priester for the bulk work.
With the game tied 0-0 in top of the fourth inning, the Dodgers loaded the bases with one out for left-handed hitting third baseman Max Muncy. Driving a ball to deep left-center field, Muncy made a bid for a grand slam, but the ball was knocked down by Brewers center fielder Sal Frelick — which set off one of the most bizarre plays in MLB playoff history.
WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!?!?! #NLCS pic.twitter.com/x7BbmJ6hzX
— MLB (@MLB) October 14, 2025
When the ball deflected off Frelick’s glove, it hit the outfield wall which made it a non-catch — even tho Frelick recovered it before it hit the ground. Because of this, the play became a force-out at home. The relay throw from shortstop Joey Ortiz to catcher William Contreras beat the sliding Teoscar Hernandez, who was forced out at the plate. Contreras then ran the ball to third, stepping on the bag to double-up Will Smith who did not run from second to third.
It was a bizarre play all-around, but a new video angle from MLB (and explanation from Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic) has confirmed exactly what happened.
“On replay, appeared Teoscar Hernández was on third base as Frelick went to catch it, broke toward the plate, then back to third base, before heading back home,” Ardaya wrote. “Throw got him at the plate.”
One of the most remarkable double plays you will EVER see 🤯#NLCS pic.twitter.com/xokoLsH7Jj
— MLB (@MLB) October 14, 2025
What this video shows is Hernandez making a big mistake. Even if Frelick bobbled the ball and caught it (without it hitting the wall), Hernandez did not need to return to third base and tag up again. As Ardaya later explained, a base runner can tag up as soon as the ball hits the fielder’s glove.
“Yes, but he can break for the plate as soon as a catch is attempted and the ball hits the glove,” Ardaya added. “Similar play helped Michael Conforto score a run against the Giants earlier this year.”
This baserunning error by Hernandez cost the Dodgers at least one run, as they failed to score in the inning which preserved a 0-0 tie. While he entered Monday’s game with an OPS over 1.000 in the 2025 postseason, Hernandez has made mistakes on the base paths and in the field.
