MILWAUKEE — Brewers manager Pat Murphy choked up when talking about Blake Perkins’ walk-off single in the ninth that helped the team avoid a series sweep at the hands of the Marlins.
With their offense stagnant for most of the game, the Brewers got key hits late to rally past the Marlins, 3-2, on Sunday afternoon at American Family Field.
The Brewers won it in the ninth on Perkins’ walk-off, bases-loaded hit off Cade Gibson. It was the second career walk-off for Perkins, who entered the game in the eighth as a pinch-runner, stole second and scored the tying run on Andrew Vaughn’s double.
“It was emotional for me to see Perk come through right there. That was huge,” Murphy said, fighting back tears.
Perkins fractured his right shin during batting practice in Spring Training and didn’t return to the Brewers lineup until July 18 after a long and extensive rehab.
Murphy spoke of his fondness for the 28-year-old outfielder.
“I said to him last year when he was going through a rough time, ‘I will never send you down,’” Murphy said. “I told him, ‘I just love who you are and I love what you bring to the team.’ He’s the ultimate team guy. He’s special.”
Perkins said Murphy offered him words of encouragement before he went to the plate.
“Murph gave me some confidence. He told me to drive the ball the other way and don’t worry about the curveball inside,” Perkins said. “I just tried to do that the best I could.”
Perkins, too, appeared emotional when talking about his relationship with his manager.
“He’s a good man,” Perkins said. “It was awesome to have someone that you respect and look up to give you some words of encouragement.”
Eric Haase got things started in the ninth with a single. Brice Turang followed with a double and Jackson Chourio was intentionally walked before Perkins drove a pitch to center to win it. As the ball landed in the outfield grass and Haase crossed the plate with the winning run, Perkins’ teammates mobbed him on the field in celebration.
“I’m definitely appreciative of the moment. It’s been a long road,” said Perkins, who played at American Family Field in this series for the first time since last post-season. “I don’t feel like I’m way behind, but this is the middle of the season for a lot of these guys and I’m kind of coming in late. It’s just cool to be back.”
Chourio was among those teammates celebrating Perkins’ game-winning hit.
“Everyone knows that Perk is just a great person and a great teammate,” Chourio said through translator Daniel de Mondesert. “I’m super happy that he was able to come through in the moment for us.”
Trailing 2-1 in the eighth, the Brewers pulled even on Vaughn’s run-scoring double with two outs off reliever Ronny Henriquez. Vaughn has 14 RBIs in 13 games since being acquired by Milwaukee from the White Sox on June 13.
The Marlins struck right away against Brandon Woodruff. Xavier Edwards led off the game with a double and later scored on Kyle Stowers’ single. The Brewers broke through in the third against Eury Pérez. Haase was hit by a pitch and scored on Chourio’s double. The hit extended Chourio’s career-high hitting streak to 20 games, becoming the sixth player in franchise history to reach the mark.
Woodruff allowed four hits and two runs in six innings. He recorded six strikeouts and issued three walks, his first of the season. Woodruff threw 85 pitches, the most in any of his four starts this season.
“That’s a pitcher. That’s a guy that, with or without his best stuff, kept us in the game,” Murphy said. “That’s the definition of a big-time dude. Woody was great. That’s leadership. That’s understanding the game and understanding yourself.”
Woodruff said he struggled a bit with his command.
“This is a team that’s pretty aggressive. It’s a tough lineup where you know they’re aggressive and you’ve got to make good pitches early on,” he said. “It was a fight out there for sure.”
With the win, the Brewers avoided being swept for the first time since opening the season with three straight losses against the Yankees in New York. The Brewers haven’t been swept at home since June 2023.
