Just as the tides looked to be turning for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Blake Snell gave up back-to-back homers to flip Game 3 of the National League Championship Series on its head.
Will Smith came through with a two-RBI double to take the lead in the sixth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers. For the first time all series, the Dodgers seemingly had all of the momentum, but the Brewers answered quickly. DL Hall came in to get back-to-back strikeouts and leave the runners stranded. Dave Roberts stuck with Blake Snell, who surrendered home runs to Jake Bauers and Garrett Mitchell in the following frame.
The Dodgers needed to win Game 3 to give themselves a real chance to win the series, and before the game, Snell talked about hitting the Brewers with some adversity, noting how he was not too fond of how confident they were.
“I noticed how they talk, a lot of one-on-one competition is a key for them. The way Pat Murphy talks to the team is way different than last year,” Snell said to reporters on Tuesday, per the New York Post's Thomas L. Murray. “So I understand that.”
“How do you counter that? How do you get them into a different place? I think they’re in a good spot now, especially being up 2-0 but adversity hits and that’s when thoughts start racing,” Snell added.
Well, his words came back to bite him. He gave up three home runs in total, after not allowing one all season. The Brewers social media account made sure to let Snell know the team heard his comments. They posted a clip of Bauers' home run with Snell's quote as the caption.
"But adversity hits, and that's when the thoughts start racing"#WinOurWay pic.twitter.com/2xBRMoGsxQ
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) October 15, 2026
Bauers' homer capped off an 11-pitch at-bat. In Game 2, Bauers drew a walk on a 12-pitch at-bat against Yoshinobu Yamamoto, loading the bases. Christian Yelich drove in two runs two pitches later. Bauers has shifted the entire series with two at-bats and could be on his way to winning the National League Championship Series MVP Award.