Turang Lifts Brewers With Game Changing Swing Against Dodgers

Brice Turang helped the Milwaukee Brewers defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series at American Family Field with a home run against Tarik Skubal and three key defensive plays. The second baseman's performance came after extra work to fix his swing path before the matchup.

Turang's fourth-inning homer tied the game at 1-1 after he attacked a 2-0 inside sinker from Skubal. According to MLB, it was Turang's second postseason home run and his seventh against a left-handed pitcher in regular season or playoff games.

Turang's teammates highlighted the unusual difficulty of the pitch he hit. Jake Bauers said he reviewed the location on an iPad after Turang described it.

"I went back on the iPad mid-game after he told me it was in, just to see how far in it was," Bauers said.

Bauers continued describing the pitch location and the swing that followed.

"I was like, maybe he wasn’t seeing it right; that pitch was probably right down the middle. And sure enough, it was dotted in," Bauers said.

"That was one of the more impressive swings I’ve ever seen," Bauers said.

Turang also produced a strong defensive night, opening the game by throwing out Mookie Betts and later helping complete three double plays. The Brewers used his defense and pitching staff to protect the one-run victory.

Outfielder Sal Frelick said Turang's home run reflected the swing he had been searching for during extra practice.

"That’s him," Frelick said.

Frelick explained why the result matched Turang's natural hitting ability.

"That’s his true ball flight. He can take a ball black in and hit it out to center. That’s his path," Frelick said.

After seeing the pitch location, Frelick reacted to how difficult the home run appeared.

"That’s nuts," Frelick said.

Turang spent additional time working with Brewers hitting coach Daniel Vogelbach after going 2-for-16 in the Division Series against the San Diego Padres. The session focused on keeping his hands from dropping and helping his bat move directly to the ball.

"He’s a perfectionist, man," Vogelbach said.

Turang described his approach to improving his swing and finding consistency.

"I love trying to figure it out," Turang said.

"A lot of us love doing that. I kind of grew up hitting all the time, until the late hours of the night. So sometimes it brings me back to being a kid a little bit and enjoying just going in there and hitting in the cage," Turang said.

Manager Pat Murphy said the adjustments Turang worked on directly matched the swing that produced the homer.

"That’s what he was working on, exactly. Instead of his hands dropping and cutting across, to just get straight to the baseball," Murphy said.

Turang said his first at-bat, when he fouled a pitch off his kneecap, helped him focus on staying inside the ball.

"I wasn’t trying to hit a homer. I was trying to hit a nice line drive back up the middle," Turang said.

Skubal accepted the outcome after Turang connected on the inside sinker.

"I’m gonna tip my hat on a pitch like that. A 2-0 sinker in, I mean, I’m gonna live with that, left-on-left. He put a good swing on it," Skubal said.

Turang joked that avoiding the foul ball would have been another way to reach the same adjustment.

"Or I could just stay inside the ball from the first pitch. That would be nice," Turang said.

Turang's family also played a role in his development, with his father Brian Turang, a former Seattle Mariners infielder, continuing as a trusted instructor. His mother Carrie and older sisters, who became college athletes, were also part of his baseball background.

Rookie Cooper Pratt praised Turang's all-around impact after the victory.

"He does everything. He defends, he hits, he runs, he knows the game, he’s a baseball rat, he wants to win, he’s a complete player," Pratt said.