Can the moment of the regular season be made before the calendar even turns to April? Because, if so, Christian Yelich may have just done it.
With two outs and two on in the bottom of the eighth, Yelich came off the bench and up to the plate, where he dramatically delivered a go-ahead, three-run home run that capped a six-run inning for a 9-7, come-from-behind win for the Milwaukee Brewers over the Chicago White Sox at American Family Field on March 29.
Yelich’s blast, a towering, stately arc to the second-deck in right field left the bat at 111 mph and with such a sound that it left no doubt as to what he had just done – and if there had been any, the stone-cold reaction of Yelich in the box would have erased it.
BOX SCORE: Brewers 9, White Sox 7
The homer capped a four-run comeback in the eighth, with five of Milwaukee’s six runs in the frame coming with two outs against right-hander Seranthony Dominguez.
It was the perfect finish to the perfect opening. With the win, the Brewers secured a sweep to kick off the 2026 season with a 3-0 mark.
Clutch Christian Yelich homer caps incredible comeback
How about that for a vintage Yelich moment?
With the tying run on third and two outs in the bottom of the eighth, the crowd let out its loudest roar of the afternoon as Number 22 was announced as the pinch hitter and strode to the plate.
The 32,737 fans made even more noise two minutes later.
Yelich, on a 2-2 splitter that caught way too much plate from Dominguez, turned and ripped it high and deep to right for a go-ahead, three-run home run. And he knew it, too.
Yelich, immediately upon making contact, dropped his bat and turned to the Brewers dugout, not even bothering to watch the ball flight. The blast capped a six-run inning that was part of a 7-2 comeback in total for the Brewers against the White Sox bullpen.
The Brewers loaded the bases on hits by Joey Ortiz and Brandon Lockridge, then a Blake Perkins walk. That brought up Brice Turang, who roped a run-scoring single to left to make it 7-4 with one away. After William Contreras popped out against the newly-entered Dominguez, Luis Rengifo worked a full count and poked a two-run knock up the middle. That brought the Brewers within a run and Yelich to the plate for his first career pinch-hit homer.
Struggles with runners on extend into middle innings
Milwaukee was unable to take a bite out of Chicago’s deficit through most of the early and middle innings despite ample opportunities to do so.
Leadoff runners in the second, fourth and fifth went by the wayside as the Brewers went 11 straight hitless at-bats with a runner on until the sixth, when Lockridge poked a single through the opposite field to plate Sal Frelick, who had led off it a hustle double.
White Sox teeing off on Brandon Sproat
It just keeps getting worse for Brandon Sproat, who’s leaving pitches over the middle of the plate and not getting them back.
The third White Sox homer in the first three innings came courtesy of Everson Pereira on a hanging first-pitch sweeper with one out in the third. It was crushed 403 feet to center, giving the White Sox a homer in each of the first three frames and a 7-2 lead against the rookie right-hander.
Sproat lasted all of three innings, laboring through 86 pitches.
Brewers can’t get Munetaka Murakami out
The first series in the big leagues for Japanese star Munetaka Murakami couldn’t have gone better for the White Sox first baseman.
Murakami homered for the third consecutive game, lofting a solo shot out to right to make it a 5-2 White Sox lead in the top of the second. The ball deflected off Sal Frelick’s glove and over the top of the fence for the second long ball off of Sproat.
Two batters later, the White Sox pushed their lead back to four runs as Miguel Vargas singled, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on Colson Montgomery’s fifth RBI of the day.
Gary Sánchez gets two back
Starting all three catchers on the roster paid dividends early for Pat Murphy as William Contreras (playing at designated hitter) doubled on a 105.0 mph liner to left and Gary Sánchez (first base) walloped a two-out, two-run homer in his first at-bat of the year.
With two regular right-handed hitting starter on the injured list in Jackson Chourio and Andrew Vaughn, the Brewers have to get a bit creative with their lineups, and are doing so by putting three true catchers in the lineup. Jeferson Quero is starting and making his MLB debut behind the plate.
Nightmare start for Brandon Sproat
You couldn’t have drawn up any worse of a start to Brandon Sproat’s first Brewers outing.
Sproat began the afternoon by walking the first two batters he faced, then went to a full count on the third, Miguel Vargas. It appeared Sproat had his first out of the game when Vargas popped a lazy fly to medium-depth center, but Blake Perkins took three steps in the wrong direction and allowed the ball to fall for a hit.
That loaded the bases for Colson Montgomery, who unloaded them with one swing, a towering show to right-center.
Sproat needed 39 pitches to get through the first, walking three before all was said and done. A strikeout of Edgar Quero for the third out saved him from having to exit, as the bullpen was warming up and that was his last batter.
What time is the Brewers game today?
Time: 1:10 p.m.
What channel is the Brewers game on today?
TV channel: Brewers.TV.
Brewers 2026 record
3-0.
Brewers lineup
- Brice Turang 2B
- William Contreras C
- Luis Rengifo 3B
- Gary Sanchez 1B
- Sal Frelick RF
- Joey Ortiz SS
- Jeferson Quero C
- Brandon Lockridge LF
- Blake Perkins CF
White Sox lineup
- Chase Meidroth 2B
- Munetaka Murakami 1B
- Miguel Vargas 3B
- Colson Montgomery SS
- Austin Hays LF
- Andrew Benintendi DH
- Everson Pereira RF
- Edgar Quero C
- Tristan Peters CF
Brewers schedule
Brewers vs. Rays, March 30, 6:40 p.m.: Milwaukee LHP Kyle Harrison vs. Tampa Bay RHP Nick Martinez. TV – Brewers.TV. Radio – AM-620 WTMJ.
Brewers vs. Rays, March 31, 6:40 p.m.: Milwaukee RHP Brandon Woodruff vs. Tampa Bay LHP Shane McClanahan. TV – Brewers.TV and FOX6. Radio – AM-620 WTMJ.
Brewers vs. Rays, April 1, 12:40 p.m.: Milwaukee RHP Jacob Misiorowski (1-0, 1.80) vs. Tampa Bay RHP Drew Rasmussen (0-0, 1.80). TV – Brewers.TV. Radio – AM-620 WTMJ.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Christian Yelich’s dramatic pinch-hit home run sends Brewers to opening sweep
Reporting by Curt Hogg, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
