David Hamilton Ran the Brewers to Game 2 NLCS Win

[Jack Stern]

Image courtesy of USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Several impressive at-bats propelled the Brewers’ comeback win in Game 2 of the NLCS. Jake Bauers worked a 12-pitch walk against Yoshinobu Yamamoto, setting up Christian Yelich’s bases-loaded, go-ahead single, which knocked the right-hander out in the third inning. William Contreras tied the game twice and singled in the winning run in the sixth. 

David Hamilton didn’t deliver those big hits, but he may have had the best offensive game (save Contreras's). The speedy Hamilton reached base three times, and each time, he advanced to scoring position without a hit and later scored. He joined Brice Turang as the only players in franchise history with multiple stolen bases in a postseason game.

“Hammy's been doing that for us all year,” Bauers said. “He finds a way on in big spots, and he's such a good baserunner that he makes something happen with his legs. That's such a huge piece for us at the 9-hole coming around to the top of the lineup, to be able to get on, steal bases, make things happen, put pressure on the defense.”

His most pivotal baserunning was in the sixth, when he set up Contreras’s go-ahead hit. Brock Stewart hit Hamilton with a pitch to open the inning. With the lineup turning over and nobody out, everyone was already thinking about a potential steal.

“When I went out to check on Hamilton after the hit-by-pitch, [Freddie Freeman] said to me, ‘Oh, you’re just doing this, Murph, just to get extra time because you want him to steal,’” Pat Murphy said. “I said, ‘Should we go on the first or second pitch? Let me know.’”

Fearing a steal, Stewart threw to first. Freeman couldn’t handle the throw, allowing Hamilton to advance to second. Jackson Chourio hit a routine ground ball to short, right where Hamilton was leading off second base. Reading it off the bat and knowing he could make it with his speed, the speedster took off on contact, advancing to third on a play on which some runners might stay put.

“I saw the ball. I felt like it was a little bit in front of me, but I could still get there,” Hamilton said. “I didn’t look back, so I slid just to be sure.”

From third, he had more time to read Contreras’s topspin blooper into left field and still score easily. In a game where the Brewers disadvantaged themselves with early mistakes in the field, he helped them claw back for good by doing the little things on the bases.

“Everybody knew what was going on, and sometimes that affects the pitcher and affects the balance of the game, so he didn’t have to steal,” Murphy said. “He made a good read. That’s all those little things in baserunning that make a difference.”

“I think the little things is what wins ballgames, especially critical games like this,” Hamilton said. “So we definitely have an emphasis on that, and so we try and do it.”

A few innings later, Hamilton helped the Brewers pull away with a two-run eighth. He led off with a single, stole second, and later scored on Brice Turang’s base hit. Even if his elite athleticism didn’t translate into the breakout the Brewers envisioned (his 80 OPS+ during the regular season matched his career mark entering 2026), Monday night was a reminder of how impactful Hamilton’s speed can be when he reaches base.

“He had that pick attempt that got away [in the sixth], he gets to second base, he ends up scoring. He steals the base [in the eighth], he ends up scoring,” Bauers said. “That's such a big piece of the lineup, one through nine, for sure.”

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[Michael Trzinski]

I think overall Hambone has been a 'plus' acquisition for the Brewers. He has sparkled on defense at times but has made some errors, too, that make you wonder. According to FanGraphs, he has a +6 DRS in 577 innings at 3B, his main position this year.

Add 32 SB out of 39 tries (82.1%) and that makes him a valuable performer for this scrappy Brewers team. Heck, Rickey Henderson had a success rate of 80.8% over his career, so Hambone is in good company.