The first four games of the Brewers' National League Division Series were settled long before they were finished. There were early leads, mid-game blowouts and even a runaway victory as the Brewers and Diamondbacks battled to a fifth and deciding game.
It only stood to reason then that Game 5 would be a down-to-the-wire, extra-inning nail-biter that wouldn't be settled until the final at-bat. In fact, in many ways, it was a victory emblematic of the 2011 Brewers, who won more one-run games (30) than any team in the National League.
And who else but Nyjer Morgan could possibly be there in the end? It was Morgan's one-out, RBI single in the 10th that drove in Carlos Gomez for the 3-2 victory and punching the Brewers' ticket to a League Championship Series for the first time in 29 years.
"They fought this way all year long," manager Ron Roenicke said. "We won a lot of late ballgames, whether we're tied at the point or coming from behind. But they don't quit. They keep getting after it. And it has a lot to do with the makeup of the club. They're a bunch of guys that are dedicated to win at all costs, and I think you saw that in the game today."
Game 5 was billed as a rematch of the series opener as Milwaukee sent Yovani Gallardo to the mound while the Diamondbacks countered with Cy Young Award candidate Ian Kennedy.
Gallardo looked shaky from the start and found himself approaching the 50-pitch mark after just two innings. He allowed a solo home run to Justin Upton in the second but that was all Arizona could muster against the young right-hander. Gallardo would last through the sixth inning with a final line of one run on six hits with five strikeouts and two walks.
It was a far cry from his dominant performance in Game 1, but after two straight brutal starts in Arizona from Shaun Marcum and Randy Wolf, it was enough for the Brewers on Friday.
"That was a performance that we needed from one of our starters," Roenicke said. "We were real happy coming back here and having Yo starting this game. And he came through and pitched like we thought he would."
Kennedy kept the Brewers at bay and limited the damage in the fourth inning, when the Brewers loaded the bases with one out. Nyjer Mogan doubled to open the inning and, with Ryan Braun batting, moved to third on a wild pitch. Braun walked and Prince Fielder followed with a pop out to short. Kennedy loaded the bases when he hit Rickie Weeks.
Jerry Hairston, Jr. was up next and it looked like he was about to break the game open when he ripped a 3-1 fastball to the wall in center. Arizona's Chris Young, though, chased it down and made a running grab at the wall, leaving Hairston with a sacrifice fly and the game tied, 1-1.
"I don't think I've ever cried on a baseball field, but when Chris Young made that play, outside of Gary Matthews Jr., that's the greatest play I've ever seen a center fielder make," Hairston said. "He broke my heart. I couldn't believe it. I thought we had a big inning there."
Milwaukee would push another run across in the sixth on Yuniesky Betancourt's two-out, RBI single and with Roenicke turning to his bullpen, it looked like the one-run lead would be enough to win.
Takashi Saito retired the side in order in the seventh. Francisco Rodriguez struggled, loading the bases, but worked his way out of the eighth unscathed. Enter John Axford, who had converted 44 consecutive save opportunities since blowing a 3-2 lead in the ninth inning on April 18 at Philadelphia.
From the get-go, Axford was in trouble.
On his first pitch, he gave up a double to Gerardo Parra, who entered the game hitless for the series. Pinch-hitter Sean Burroughs followed with a single, putting runners at the corners with nobody out. Willie Bloomquist was next and he put down a near-perfect squeeze that caused Fielder to get tied up with Axford and drove in the tying run.
Axford would work out of the jam and escape the inning unscathed but the damage had been done and the game was headed to extra innings when the Brewers went down in order in the bottom of the ninth.
Surprisingly, Axford was back on the mound for the 10th. This time, he was his usual self, hurling fastballs in the high-90s and working a 1-2-3 inning, setting the stage for Morgan's heroics.
"I don't think there's any doubt going into the 10th, coming back with the top of the order, that we were going to get some guys on base and we were going to score," Axford said.
The Brewers won't have to worry about putting together travel plans as they'll be home Sunday when the NLCS opens. The Cardinals upset the Phillies, 1-0, in Game 5 of that NLDS, shifting home-field advantage to the Brewers for the rest of the postseason.
The series opens Sunday at 3 p.m. with Game 2 coming Monday night, also at Miller Park.
