These are the nine craziest moments from the Brewers 15-14 win over the Nationals in 14 innings
It's nearly impossible to try and get your arms around the Brewers' 15-14 win over the Washington Nationals on Saturday, a win that felt improbable if only because every time the Brewers found a foothold, they lost it.
According to Fangraphs, the Nationals' chances of winning were as high as 97.3 percent after the Brewers were retired in the eighth facing a three-run deficit.
If you had to document the nine craziest moments, how would you order them?
Hader strikes out the side after loading the bases
The ninth inning went from thrills to chills for Brewers fans after a trio of home runs in the top of the ninth to take an improbable one-run lead. But Josh Hader's struggles continued when he walked the leadoff man (pinch-hitting catcher Yan Gomes), surrendered a double to catcher Kurt Suzuki and an RBI single from Victor Robles. Tie ballgame -- although Suzuki was held at third base.
That would be significant. Hader intentionally walked Howie Kendrick and then struck out three of the Nationals' best hitters -- Trea Turner, Adam Eaton and Anthony Rendon -- to put the game into extra innings tied at 12.
It was also around this time that many observant fans on Twitter found a fan in the front row who seemed fairly unimpressed by the unfolding drama.
Brewers homer three times in the ninth
Facing Sean Doolittle, another closer who has struggled, the Brewers came out swinging in the ninth. Christian Yelich opened the frame with his 40th home run, Keston Hiura doubled and Mike Moustakas hit a blast to center that tied the game and sent the boo birds raining down on Doolittle.
But that wasn't all. One pitch later, Ryan Braun tattooed a ball to left field for his second home run of the game and a 12-11 Brewers lead.
Hiura's error with two down in the 14th
You've got to be kidding me.
If there were ever a moment when Brewers fans felt divine providence was simply against them, this was it. Juan Soto grounded to Keston Hiura into the shift, and though Hiura fielded the ball cleanly on the outfield grass, he threw wide to Eric Thames at first, allowing a run to score and putting the tying run at second base with two down in the 14th.
Soto eventually found his way to third base, where he was stranded when Junior Guerra mercifully struck out pinch-hitting pitcher Joe Ross to end it.
The Soto at-bat represented an interesting crossroads. With the Nationals out of position players, Milwaukee knew a pitcher would be batting two spots later. The Brewers had to consider whether or not to put the tying and go-ahead runs on base, loading the bases with two outs, to bring up a pitcher (perhaps solid-hitting starter Stephen Strasburg?). Craig Counsell elected to pitch to Soto, representing the tying run, and did get what seemed like a harmless ground ball. The club elected to walk Asdrubal Cabrera after Soto reached on the error, putting the go-ahead run on base for that pitcher spot -- which wound up being Ross.
Trea Turner's go-ahead shot in the sixth
It was bad enough for the Brewers lost a 5-0 lead that it had established in the third, already gone by the bottom of the fourth when Adam Eaton hit a three-run homer with two outs. But after reclaiming an 8-5 lead, Milwaukee lost that one too, with Trea Turner's three-run homer giving the Nationals a 9-8 lead in the bottom of the sixth. It was a dreadful outing for reliever Freddy Peralta, who gave up two doubles, a walk and the homer.
Yelich homers twice -- starting with No. 40 -- and finishes with 5 hits
The reigning National League MVP had been in a 1 for 15 slump since returning from a back injury at the beginning of the week, but he busted out in a big way. He finished the game with five hits -- one shy of the six he collected in last year's 13-12 win over Cincinnati -- taking place Aug. 29 and almost one full year earlier. His opposite field home run in the ninth was the 40th of the season, and he added No. 41 in the 13th, even though the Nationals rallied back both times.
RELATED:How does Christian Yelich's homer binge compare to the great home-run seasons of all time?
Eric Thames on the spot with another go-ahead blast
Eric Thames looked supremely comfortable in his at-bat against Javy Guerra, and it ended with a two-run homer in the 14th that appeared to give the Brewers the breathing room they would need to seal it off. Sure, the Nationals got one of those runs back and put the tying run on third base, but it was ultimately the winning blast -- marking the 11th home run in the game between the two clubs. Thames hit a walk-off home run earlier this month.
Adam Eaton ties the game by the fourth
The Brewers took a 5-0 lead in the third inning and appeared to be on track for a surprisingly comfortable win, but Jordan Lyles wasn't as sharp as he had been in his seven-inning outing last time out. He allowed a two-run homer to Juan Soto in the bottom of the third and then Adam Eaton's two-out homer in the fourth that plated three runs and tied the game -- and this was after former Brewers outfielder Gerardo Parra's pinch-hit at-bat with "Baby Shark" as his walk-up music.
Brewers score five in the third -- without a homer
So much has been made of Milwaukee's struggles with runners in scoring position, but then came the third inning, when Milwaukee collected hits in each of its first four opportunities with runners at second or third. The result was a 5-0 lead without the benefit of a home run.
Victor Robles throws out two runners at second base
It's worth wondering if the game has a shorter duration than 5 hours and 40 minutes if not for outfielder Victor Robles, who did more than tie the game against Hader in the ninth. He threw out two runners trying to stretch singles into doubles -- Mike Moustakas leading off the second and Keston Hiura with one down in the 13th.
Oh yeah, and unrelated to all this, rock star Jack White went to the start of the game, left to play a show, and came back for the end.
JR Radcliffe can be reached at (262) 361-9141 or jradcliffe@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JRRadcliffe.