Cain bangs 3 hits, outfield wall in busy Game 1
Center fielder laments missed catch after big night at plate
MILWAUKEE -- Naturally, Lorenzo Cain turned it on at the plate once the postseason reached the National League Championship Series. He was happy about that in the wake of the Brewers' 6-5 win over the Dodgers in Friday's Game 1.
But Cain being Cain, the veteran center fielder was shaking his head about a missed opportunity in the field.
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"I gotta make that play," Cain said.
It came with two outs in the ninth inning, with a Brewers lead that had stood at 6-1 entering the eighth down to 6-4 with the tying run at the plate. Chris Taylor hit a deep drive to the warning track in right-center field, and Cain got there, only to have the baseball hit the inside of his glove and pop out as he hit the padded wall.
Taylor had an RBI triple, and it took Corey Knebel striking out Justin Turner with the tying runner at third base to seal Milwaukee's series-opening win.
"I pride myself on making plays like that. Yeah, I'm frustrated I didn't catch it," Cain said. "But as a whole, as a team, we did a great job tonight."
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That included Cain, who capped a first inning that featured two defensive gems by running down David Freese's fly ball, then delivered a leadoff single for the first of his three hits. That matched a Brewers record for an LCS game shared by Mark Brouhard (Game 4 of the 1982 American League Championship Series) and Corey Hart (Game 5 of the NLCS).
Cain also singled and scored in the third inning and doubled in the sixth. He's a .425 hitter (17-for-40) in the LCS round, including the 8-for-14 for the Royals in 2014 that earned him ALCS MVP honors.
After going hitless in his first 10 NL Division Series at-bats against the Rockies, it is a welcome upswing for Cain.
"Yeah. It was huge," said Cain. "I scuffled early, the first few games against the Rockies. I know I need to be on base as much as possible. I have really good hitters behind me. Just gotta find a way to go out there and get done. I had a great night tonight, but at the end of the day, I've got to show up and do it again tomorrow."