Even if neither the Los Angeles Dodgers nor Milwaukee Brewers go on to win this year’s World Series, they’re going to be part of highlight reels for decades to come.
The Brewers turned one of the most confusing and astonishing double plays in postseason history on Monday evening in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series — on a deep fly ball to left-center field.
“It’s definitely the worst fielder’s choice, double play I’ve ever hit into in my life,” said Max Muncy, the Dodgers’ third baseman who hit the ball that started all the trouble.
In the top of the fourth inning during a scoreless game, the Dodgers had the bases loaded with one out when Muncy put a charge into an elevated pitch from Brewers righty Quinn Priester. Brewers center fielder Sal Frelick was shaded toward right-center to begin the play at Milwaukee’s American Family Field, and he nearly made a fantastic leaping catch at the wall as he sprinted to his right.
maybe the craziest play in postseason baseball historypic.twitter.com/T0aJizMNKc
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) October 14, 2025
Frelick, though, couldn’t cleanly reel it in, and the ball bounced off his glove. To Frelick’s luck, the ball didn’t shoot away, and he was able to secure it as it fell. Because the ball never hit the ground, the Dodgers’ runners, a couple of hundred feet away, thought Frelick ultimately made the catch.
He hadn’t, though. The ball hit off the yellow line along the top of the wall immediately after it bounced out of Frelick’s glove. That meant the ball was in play, and there were force plays available at every base.
Frelick fired into the edge of the dirt where shortstop Joey Ortiz made a perfect relay throw to the plate. Ortiz’s throw barely beat a sliding Teoscar Hernández for the first out on the play. Catcher William Contreras then completed the double play himself — he walked the ball from home plate to step on third base, where the Dodgers’ Will Smith had yet to advance from second base. That second force play ended the inning.
“He made an incredible play in center field,” Muncy said of Frelick. “As for what happened after that, I’m not really sure. I’m still kind of confused as to what all went down.”
The play is scored, oddly enough, as an 8-6-2 double play. As the play wrapped up, TBS’ cameras caught Frelick with his shoulders shrugged and arms up, capturing everyone’s feeling at the moment: What the heck just happened? Left-field umpire Chad Fairchild immediately signaled no catch when the ball dropped.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen it,” Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts said. “Being in it, I don’t know what I would have done either.”
This is the first 8-6-2 (or 8-6-2-2) double play in the playoffs over at least the last 35 postseasons
The last time there was a play like this in the regular season was by the Reds on April 16, 2004 (8-6-2). CF: Ken Griffey Jr. Batter: Sammy Sosah/t @EliasSports https://t.co/CISJK8KbMP
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) October 14, 2025
Impressively, umpires got the play on the field right the first time, replays confirmed. The Dodgers challenged the call, but to no avail.
“Both aspects of the review were confirmed,” Major League Baseball said a short while later. “After viewing all relevant angles, the replay official definitively determined that the ball contacted the interior of the catcher’s mitt prior to the runner’s foot touching home plate. Additionally, the catcher was in contact with home plate at the time the ball was caught. The call is confirmed, the runner is out.
“After viewing all relevant angles, the replay official definitively determined that the catcher, while in possession of the ball, touched third base prior to the runner who was forced. The call is confirmed, the runner is out.”
The Dodgers handled a somewhat similar situation properly earlier this season. On May 23, against the New York Mets, Mookie Betts hit a flyout that was bobbled. The two runners the Dodgers had on base, Shohei Ohtani and Michael Conforto, tagged up and advanced to second and third, respectively.
