Brewers' Vegas Victory
Christian Yelich Secures Brewers' 15-14 Victory Over A's in Thrilling 12-Inning Vegas Matchup
The Milwaukee Brewers survived a 29-run slugfest to beat the Athletics 15-14 in 12 innings on Monday night in Las Vegas, the A's future home city. Christian Yelich scored the winning run in the 12th inning, sliding home ahead of a throw after Brice Turang hit a fielder's choice grounder. The game lasted 4 hours and 14 minutes. Field Level Media called it "the most bonkers home game imaginable for a team without a permanent home."
The game was the opener of a special three-game "Las Vegas Series" at Las Vegas Ballpark in Summerlin — the first regular-season MLB games in Southern Nevada since 1996. The sellout crowd of 10,215 saw 11 home runs, seven hit by the Athletics and four by the Brewers.
Langeliers Homers on First Pitch, A's Build Big Lead
The Athletics wasted no time. Catcher Shea Langeliers homered on the very first pitch of the game off Brewers starter Kyle Harrison. Oakland kept building from there. In the third inning, the A's exploded for six runs. Tyler Soderstrom hit a three-run home run to push the lead to 8-4. Langeliers finished the night with 2 home runs and 3 RBIs. "I wanted to give these fans a taste of what's coming in 2028," Langeliers said. "It's loud out there, and the ball definitely carries."
The desert air played a role. Las Vegas Ballpark sits at roughly 3,000 feet elevation. Analysts noted a "Coors Field effect" — four of the 11 home runs would have been fly-outs in most coastal stadiums. Langeliers' first-inning blast left the bat at 112 mph and traveled an estimated 483 feet.
Brewers Tie It Late, Then Contreras Puts Them Ahead
Milwaukee chipped away all night. The Brewers pulled within two runs (10-8) in the eighth inning on a wild pitch. Then, with two outs in the ninth, Andrew Vaughn hit a two-run double off Hogan Harris to tie the game 10-10 and force extra innings.
In the top of the 10th, catcher William Contreras crushed a three-run home run — his sixth of the season — to give Milwaukee a 14-10 lead. But the Athletics refused to quit. Langeliers singled in a run, Nick Kurtz hit his 14th homer of the year, and pinch-hitter Jonah Heim launched a solo shot off Aaron Ashby — who had entered the game with a 9-0 record — to tie it at 14-14. The rally erased Ashby's ERA from 1.57 all the way to 2.44.
Yelich's Baserunning Wins It in the 12th
The 11th inning ended scoreless for both sides. In the 12th, Yelich — placed on second base as the automatic "ghost runner" — stole third base to put himself in scoring position. After Jackson Chourio struck out, Turang hit a grounder to the infield. Yelich broke for home and beat the throw by Athletics infielder Jeff McNeil. Reliever Chad Patrick then stranded the tying run at third to end the game.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy praised Yelich after the win. "Yelich was the smartest player on the field tonight," Murphy said. Athletics manager Mark Kotsay kept it simple: "It was a heavyweight fight in a phone booth." Abner Uribe picked up the win for Milwaukee (4-2), while Jose Suarez took the loss for the A's (0-2).
Brewers Extend NL Central Lead, Series Continues Tuesday
The win pushed Milwaukee to 42-23, extending their NL Central lead to 3.5 games over St. Louis. The Athletics dropped to 31-36, falling 2.5 games back in the AL West. Both bullpens are depleted after Monday's marathon. The Brewers are expected to call up a fresh arm from Triple-A Nashville before the second game. Robert Gasser is the likely starter for Milwaukee on Tuesday at 7:05 PM PDT.
The series runs through Wednesday before the Athletics host the Colorado Rockies from June 12–14. The Las Vegas showcase also drew strong economic interest. Secondary-market tickets averaged $145 per seat, and the sellout crowd offered an early proof of concept for MLB's long-term bet on Las Vegas, where the A's permanent stadium on the Strip is set to open in 2028.
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