The Cubs finally crossed the 3-run barrier in the playoffs for the first time in eight years. But adding on after a strong first inning was a problem in Wednesday’s must-win Game 3 against Milwaukee.

After building a 4-1 lead in the first, the Cubs didn’t score again, but managed to hang on for a 4-3 victory at Wrigley Field, and move to a 2-1 deficit in the best-of-five series. The win forced Game 4 on Thursday, which is set to begin at 8:08 p.m., but will move up two hours if the Dodgers sweep the Phillies.

Brad Keller recorded a four-out save, retiring the side in order in the ninth inning. It was his first time on the mound since a rocky Game 3 against San Diego in the wild card, when he hit two batters in the ninth inning.

“I was excited or sure, trying to flush that outing,” Keller said. “Learn from that outing, I felt like I tried to overdo it, especially a lot of the two-strike pitches. So today, I really tried to slow it down, especially when I got to two strikes.”

The real drama was in the eighth inning, when the Brewers got a leadoff double, then loaded the bases with two outs. Caleb Thielbar recorded two outs, then Keller came in to finish the innings.

“It’s a little more tense I think for people watching than it is for the people playing,” shortstop Dansby Swanson said. “We’ve done such a good job all year of being able to pass the baton, not only as an offense, but on the pitching side as well.”

The Cubs got rolling with a 4-run first inning, which was significant because it ended their eight-year streak of scoring 3 runs or fewer in playoff games.

They hadn’t scored 4 runs since Game 5 of the NLDS at Washington in 2017. The streak was 14 in a row with 3 runs or less, if you count the division playoff against Milwaukee in ’18.

Michael Busch got the Cubs started the same way he did in Game 1, with a leadoff home run to right field. According to the Cubs and Elias, Busch became the first player in MLB history with two first-inning leadoff home runs in a single playoff series.

Nico Hoerner followed with a single, Kyle Tucker walked, then Seiya Suzuki sent a line drive deep into the right-field corner, but Milwaukee’s Sal Frelick made a tough, sliding catch to save at least 1 run.

Ian Happ walked to load the bases, Carson Kelly struck out, then Pete Crow-Armstrong delivered what the Cubs have been craving — a clutch, two-out, 2-run single. The fourth run of the inning scored on a wild pitch.

“Yeah, I’m going to tell our guys it’s the first inning every inning tomorrow,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell joked. “I think that’s our best formula right now offensively.”

Milwaukee starter Quinn Priester departed after the PCA single, throwing 39 pitches. The Brewers had won 19 of his previous 20 starts, but the Cary-Grove High School grad was in a tough spot with fans at Wrigley Field fired up from the first pitch.

The Brewers started fast, as usual, with Christian Yelich sending a leadoff double down the first base line. After a ground out and a walk, catcher William Contreras hit a high pop up on the infield.

Normally, that type of hit would immediately be called infield fly rule, which meant the batter was out. The umpires didn’t make that call this time. First baseman Busch was standing in the sun and made it clear he never saw it off the bat. Hoerner made a sprint from second base but couldn’t get there in time and the ball landed about two-thirds of the way up the first-base line, maybe 15 feet in fair territory.

The runners took off when the ball hit the ground. Kelly picked it up and would have had an easy force at second, except no one was covering the bag, since both Hoerner and Dansby Swanson chased the pop-up.

The no infield fly call led to the first run of the game as Yelich scored on Frelick’s sacrifice fly. Had Contreras been called out, the flyball would have ended the inning.

As the game progressed, the key, as always with the Cubs, was adding on. In Game 2, they scored 3 runs in the first inning, then got nothing the rest of the way.

They couldn’t capitalize on Suzuki’s leadoff double in the third, Tucker was picked off after a leadoff single in the fifth and the Cubs left runners on the corners in the seventh.

The Brewers scored in the fourth in three straight singles against Cubs starter Jameson Taillon, but left runners stranded at second and third. Jake Bauers sent the first pitch from Andrew Kittredge into the left-field bleachers to pull Milwaukee within 4-3 in the top of the seventh.

The Brewers threatened again in the eighth, with Jackson Chourio dropping a leadoff double just off the glove of a diving Crow-Armstrong in center. Caleb Thielbar replaced Kittredge and recorded two outs with a walk. That brought in Keller, who walked Caleb Durbin to load the bases, then struck out Bauers to end the inning.

https://www.dailyherald.com/20251008/chicago-cubs/stayin-alive-cubs-score-only-in-first-inning-but-hang-on-to-win-game-3/