An Unexpected Hero: Luis Lara Comes Up With the Biggest Hit, Propelling Brewers To Game 1 Win

Image courtesy of Mark Hoffman-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

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This is all new to Luis Lara. He wasn’t on the roster last year when the Milwaukee Brewers faced the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Championship Series. He wasn’t even really a glimmer in their eyes.

One of the last places Lara figured he would be a year ago was as the starting right fielder for Game 1 of the 2026 NLCS. Heck, even in spring training that was probably a reach.

But there the rookie was, in the starting lineup Sunday against the two-time defending World Series champs at American Family Field in what would be a 2-1 victory. He was batting eighth against Tarik Skubal, the winner of the last two AL Cy Young Awards.

Lara was in the lineup because of Skubal. As a switch-hitter and platooning with Sal Frelick, a left-handed hitter, in right field, Lara was the choice. But Lara hasn’t done much offensively in his rookie season. In 61 games since coming up in early July, the 5-foot-7 speedy outfielder has put up a .246/.311/.325 slash line. Not far from his .257/.369/.343 mark last year at Double-A Biloxi.

After all, he was known for his defense in center field, winning a minor-league Gold Glove for the entire minors a year ago. He has certainly excelled in that area this year with several sparkling plays.

Lara — sharing the field with stars such as former MVPs Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman — made himself a significant part of Sunday’s Game 1. His first at-bat against Skubal went about as you would think, a two-time Cy Young winner facing a rookie playing on his biggest stage yet. Leading off the bottom of the third, Lara saw four pitches from Skubal, the first one a ball, then two pitches in the zone. Lara headed back to the bench after whiffing on a 97.6 mph sinker above the zone.

As things would have it, Lara came up in a key situation in his second at-bat. That came in the bottom of the fifth. Garrett Mitchell drew a four-pitch walk and fellow rookie Cooper Pratt, who preceded Lara to the majors by about a month, bunted Mitchell to second. What did Lara learn from that first at-bat? Don’t let the big left-hander get on top of the count.

On the very first pitch, the 21-year-old attacked a changeup and bounced it up the middle and into center. Mitchell scored easily and without a play. Lara had put the Brewers up 2-1.

It was the biggest moment in the young career of Lara. He earned his spot on the major-league roster through an improved offensive approach this season, leading to a .321/.432/.470 slash line in his first 78 games at Triple-A Nashville. The offense, not to mention the spectacular defense, was the impetus for the Brewers to give Lara a seven-year, $31 million contract during the season. It was less than Pratt’s eight-year, $50,750,000 deal, but Pratt also plays a more important position, shortstop.

Still, Lara came through when the Brewers needed him to. There will be a point, perhaps next year, where Lara could be more of an everyday player rather than platooning with Frelick. Due to splitting time, Lara came to the plate in just one game in the NL Division Series against the San Diego Padres. That was when he started Game 1 against left-hander Robbie Ray and went 0-for-3. His only other appearance came in the Game 3 loss, when he pinch-ran for William Contreras in the ninth inning.

He sat and watched and learned in the other games.

But there Lara was in Game 1. He will likely be back on the bench for Monday’s Game 2, when the Dodgers send World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a right-hander, to the mound. Lara could get a pinch-hit opportunity against one of the Dodgers’ left-handed relievers, such as Alex Vesia and Tanner Scott. He will get another starting assignment when Blake Snell starts, probably in Game 3.

Whether Lara comes through in that game is something to wait and see.

For one night, though, Lara — on a stage with some of the biggest names in all of MLB, players with a proven postseason pedigree — stood tall as the one who had the hit that gave the Brewers a victory in Game 1. If the Brewers take down Goliath and advance to their second World Series, that hit becomes an even bigger part of franchise lore.

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Steve Drumwright grew up in Wisconsin and was forced out of youth baseball when he failed to make enough contact to play the sport he loves. He did make one memorable pitching appearance, summoned from right field in a blowout. Steve went on to a successful journalism career, beginning as a part-time high school sportswriter in small-town Wisconsin to becoming the No. 2 person in the newsroom in San Francisco. Steve enjoys telling the stories of other people and how sports is a terrific vehicle for telling those stories. He now lives in Southern California. Follow him on Bluesky.