The Brewers are turning the whole idea of pitching on its head in the 2018 postseason. Bullpenning is the buzzword for Milwaukee's October success. Right-handed reliever Brandon Woodruff has been a big part of that strategy.
Woodruff was the first pitcher out of Milwaukee's bullpen Friday in Game 1 of the NL Championship Series and was expected to go multiple innings. That's why he got to hit in the bottom of the third against Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw.
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Woodruff, a converted starter, made the most of the at-bat:
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Woodruff's drive was the second of his major league career and the third of his professional career, but who could have expected a reliever to go deep against Kershaw in the playoffs?
UPDATE: As if Woodruff taking Kershaw deep wasn't odd enough, we now have this tidbit:
Brandon Woodruff is the first left-handed hitting pitcher to homer off a left-handed pitcher in postseason history, and he does it against Clayton Kershaw.
— Joe Trezza (@JoeTrezz) October 13, 2018
UPDATE 2: Woodruff didn't get a second at-bat even though his spot came up in the bottom of the fourth. Domingo Santana batted for him and promptly laced a two-run single, giving the Brewers a 4-1 lead and knocking Kershaw out of the game.
